Seva, Toledo named new press undersecretaries

President Estrada strengthened further his propaganda machinery by appointing two new press undersecretaries, one of them a former broadcast journalist and television executive.

The new press undersecretaries are Antonio Seva, erstwhile executive vice president for news and current affairs of GMA Channel 7, and Mike Toledo, former press assistant undersecretary.

The duo were recommended to their new posts by Press Secretary Ricardo "Dong" Puno who assumed office only last April 16.

Seva and Toledo were tentatively scheduled to take their oath before Mr. Estrada on May 23 at Malacañang.

Puno told The STAR the appointment of Seva and promotion of Toledo were part of his planned organizational changes in the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) to make its information machinery work more effectively.

Puno implemented the changes after the Chief Executive ordered the abolition last April 24 of the Office of the Presidential Spokesman, previously headed by Fernando Barican.

Puno now serves as both press secretary and presidential spokesman.

Puno said he will retain Noel Cabrera as his undersecretary for print since Cabrera --a former newspaper editor --was taken in by his predecessor, former Press Secretary Rodolfo Reyes.

Icasiano Gutierrez also keeps his position as press undersecretary specially assigned to the President.

Puno said he would not remove anybody at the OPS, but would maximize their usefulness to the office.

Puno said Seva and Toledo would conduct press briefings in his absence.

He added that he recruited Seva to quash allegations that he would be giving special accommodations to his former employer, ABS-CBN Channel 2.