President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. named Ilocos regional tourism director Joseph Francisco “Jeff” Ortega as the new chairperson of the National Youth Commission (NYC) on Thursday, August 29.
Replacing known supporter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, Ronald Cardema, Ortega’s appointment seeks to “empower” the Filipino youth and represent their advocacies in the “highest levels of government,” the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said on its website.
The agency also commended Ortega’s expertise in tourism and youth advocacy that would help advance NYC’s mission to champion youth welfare.
“Ortega is well-positioned to lead the NYC in its mission to develop and implement policies that will further the welfare and development of young Filipinos across the country,” it said.
According to PCO, Marcos expressed confidence in Ortega in terms of “shaping the future of the nation” and being a catalyst for leadership and meaningful developments for young Filipinos.
The president’s son and Rep. Sandro Marcos (Ilocos Norte, First District) congratulated Ortega for his new post.
“Congratulations to my good friend @jeffortega!!! I know you’ll do great things,” Sandro wrote in an Instagram story on Thursday.
Ortega began serving as regional director of the Department of Tourism Region 1 in 2019, the youngest to be designated in the post. He initiated several projects aimed at promoting regional tourism and sustainable development.
The newly-appointed chairperson earned his bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Ateneo de Manila University in 2013 and master’s degree in Business Administration at Ateneo Graduate School of Business last year.
He is also the son of former La Union mayor Manuel “Manoling” Ortega and brother of former city governor Francisco Emmanuel “Pacoy” Ortega III. Pacoy’s daughter, Raphaelle Veronica Ortega-David, is the current governor of La Union.
Jeff is also the longtime non-showbiz boyfriend of actress Jasmine Curtis-Smith. They have been together for eight years.
According to an Esquire article, Jeff likewise headed numerous tourism-related businesses, namely the La Union Surf School, La Union franchises of Stoked Inc. and Ripcurl Philippines, burger joint Mad Monkeys and La Union Soul Surf Music Festival.
In 2020, the tourism regional director drew flak online for introducing Marcos, who was a former senator at that time, as “the Vice President of the Philippines” at a regional tourism event despite having been defeated by former Vice President Leni Robredo in 2016.
Jeff replaced Cardema, a Duterte Youth Partylist chairman who served as NYC chief from 2018 to 2020 and was reinstated by Duterte in 2022.
Established in 1995 through Republic Act 8044 or the Youth in Nation-Building Act, the NYC aims to uphold youth development through policy formulation.
