President Arroyo's press secretary dies

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MANILA, Philippines, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Cerge Remonde, press secretary to Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, died Tuesday after he was found unconscious in his home, officials said.

Remonde was pronounced dead about half an hour after his arrival at Makati Medical Center, the Philippine Inquirer reported. Gary Olivar, a deputy spokesman for Arroyo, said Remonde had suffered a "major heart incident."

After graduating from the University of Visayas, Remonde studied in Tel Aviv, Israel, and participated in a U.S. State Department program in Washington. He was anchor of DYLA Interaction, a prime time news and commentary program, before he joined the Arroyo administration in 2004.

Remonde served as head of the Government Mass Media Group from 2004 to 2009, overseeing several government news agencies. He became press secretary in February last year.

While serving in the Cabinet, Remonde headed a number of government boards, including the Advertising Board of the Philippines, the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists and the Appeals Board of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board and as commissioner of the Communications Committee for UNESCO.