Bautista out; Dizon next transport chief PCO chief goes on leave

MANILA, Philippines —  A corporate executive who held various posts in the Duterte administration has been appointed new transportation secretary by President Marcos, replacing Jaime Bautista who quit for “health reasons.”

In a statement, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the appointment of Vince Dizon as secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) takes effect on Feb. 21.

“He is already authorized by the Office of the President to start the transition at the DOTr in coordination with the team of Secretary Jaime Bautista, who has resigned due to health reasons,” Bersamin said in a statement yesterday.

Dizon, chief regulatory officer of Prime Infrastructure, was presidential adviser on flagship programs and projects and president and chief executive officer of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) during the Duterte administration.

During the pandemic, he was the “testing czar” and deputy chief implementer of the National Task Force against COVID-19.

Bersamin denied that Bautista, who turned 68 this month, was asked to resign because Marcos was not satisfied with his performance.

“Secretary Jimmy Bautista signified that he might need to rest because of health issues... When the President and Secretary Bautista talked about it, it became clear to the President that Secretary Bautista may really need to take a rest from official duties,” Bersamin said

“The President and Secretary Bautista talked at length about (the latter’s) situation… There is no other consideration there.”

PCO chief on leave

Asked about rumors that Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan Uy and Presidential Communications (PCO) Secretary Cesar Chavez are on their way out, Bersamin replied: “Well, I do not know yet how true they are or if there is any basis. But usually, speculations are... always there.

“We cannot tell it to you unless it already happened because, you know, we do not have compelling reasons. But speculations are rife. So, we just cannot dignify speculations,” the executive secretary added.

PCO Senior Undersecretary Emerald Anne Ridao will serve as officer-in-charge of the agency from Feb. 17 to 21 while Secretary Chavez is on leave.

Chavez designated Ridao to the post “in the exigency of the service and to ensure the continuous operations of the PCO.”

“As such, Senior Undersecretary Ridao shall take care of the day-to-day operations of the PCO, and if necessary, act for and on behalf of the acting secretary,” Chavez said in a special order issued last Feb. 12.

Under Bautista, the contract for the P170.6-billion upgrade of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport was awarded to a consortium led by San Miguel Corp.

The DOTr under Bautista also turned over the operations and maintenance of the Bohol and Laguindingan gateways to the Aboitiz Group.

With his departure from the DOTr, it’s now Dizon’s task to ratchet up the completion of the government’s largest rail projects so far, namely, the P873.62-billion North-South Commuter Railway and the P488.48-billion Metro Manila Subway Project.

Still in the rail sector, Dizon has to look for new funders for the railway projects dropped by China, such as the Philippine National Railways South Long Haul and Mindanao Railway Project.

Wide support

Various groups and lawmakers voiced support for Malacañang’s appointment of Dizon. Think tank Infrawatch PH said Dizon’s appointment would bring vigor to an agency that handles one of the widest sectors in the government.

Infrawatch PH convenor Terry Ridon said Dizon fits the role of transport chief because of his experience as former head of BCDA.

“Dizon provides the agility and dynamism of youth to the transportation department, which had been unfortunately absent in the previous leadership. Dizon also provides broad experience in the infrastructure sector, serving as the BCDA chief and presidential flagship projects adviser in the previous government,” Ridon told The STAR.

Low-cost carrier AirAsia Philippines also looks forward to the reforms that Dizon would bring to the aviation industry. During his BCDA tenure, one of Dizon’s priorities was to deliver the new terminal building for the Clark International Airport in preparation for future demand.

Legislators also welcomed the new addition to the Marcos Cabinet, saying they trust his capability to recharge and speed up some stalled projects.

“I congratulate Vince Dizon on his appointment as the new DOTr Secretary! I look forward to working with him in government!” Senate President Francis Escudero posted on X. “I likewise wish Secretary Bautista well and thank him for his service at the DOTr!”

Sen. Grace Poe, who previously chaired the Senate public services committee, congratulated Dizon and thanked him “for taking on such an enormous task at this critical time.”

Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada said Dizon is a “strong choice” to lead the DOTr because of his experience with the BCDA.

Sen. JV Ejercito lauded the new DOTr secretary as a “staunch advocate of infrastructure development and transport modernization.”

Job gets done

Rep. Joey Salceda, for his part, said he has nothing but praises for the new transportation secretary. “Vince is a long-time friend. We worked together on key issues during the COVID-19 pandemic and after,” Salceda said. “I have relied on his advice for many important policy decisions. He was also an important ally as I presided over the passage in Congress of the tax reform program,” he said.

“When you need a job done, you hire Vince and the job gets done,” Salceda, chairman of the House ways and means committee, added.

He also thanked Dizon’s predecessor Bautista “for his service and his friendship” as he wished him “the best as he tends to his health.”

Akbayan party-list, meanwhile, called on Dizon to also engage commuters in a dialogue regarding key transportation issues.

“We hope that he is open to listening to the voices of the commuting public and that he rises to the occasion in transforming our transport system,” Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña said in a statement yesterday.

He said some of the issues that the new DOTr chief should consider for the benefit of commuters are the extension of the Light Rail Transit and Metro Rail Transit operating hours, halt on fare hikes, and the improvement of the EDSA bus lanes.

He also urged the new transport chief to work closely with commuter groups and other stakeholders to improve the country’s public transport system, making it comparable to its Southeast Asian neighbors, where train services run until midnight.

Dizon, 50, has been in government service for the last 26 years and worked as chief of staff of the late Senate president Edgardo Angara. He was also an assistant professor of economics at De La Salle University. The incoming transportation chief is a recipient of the Order of Lakandula with the rank of Bayani for his contributions to the “Build Build Build” infrastructure program and the government’s pandemic response.

The DOTr that he is poised to lead is grappling with major issues like delays in rail projects and the modernization of public utility vehicles. The planned phaseout of traditional jeepneys had also drawn flak from various quarters. - Elijah Felice Rosales, Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Mark Ernest Villeza, Delon Porcalla