DOTr’s Lopez, DPWH’s Dizon swap posts

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos carried out yet another change in his Cabinet, with Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez and Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon swapping posts, in an arrangement supposedly meant to solve commuters’ woes and sustain reforms in a system that “protected” corruption.

Presidential Communications Secretary Lino Cayetano said Dizon, who is returning to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) after a year-long stint as public works chief, has been tasked to make daily commute easier, shorten lines at the Land Transportation Office, get rid of fixers and push for the completion of mass transport projects.

Lopez, who assumed the post of transportation chief in September last year, has been directed to boost and safeguard reforms in the Department of Public Works and Highways (DWPH), which has been dogged by corruption issues arising from the multibillion-peso flood control scam.

“Secretary Dizon disrupted a system that had protected waste and corruption for years, thousands of projects are now open to the public, long-unfinished projects are being completed and the new culture of transparency and accountability has begun to take root,” Cayetano said at a media briefing yesterday.

“Secretary Giovanni ‘Banoy’ Lopez will secure these gains and build a system to last. A lawyer and a certified public accountant, he has been tasked to strengthen safeguards and institutionalize the reforms, turning them into rules, processes and systems that will keep serving Filipinos even after this administration for decades to come,” he added.

Describing Dizon as a “disruptor” and “reformer” and Lopez as a “systems builder,” Cayetano said Marcos “puts the right people where they can deliver the most.”

“The President’s direction is clear: Secretary Dizon will accelerate and sustain reforms at transportation; Secretary Lopez will strengthen and sustain reforms at public works,” the Palace communications chief said.

“Secretary Vince and Secretary Banoy are two of the most high-performing Cabinet secretaries. They are distant from politics and are focused on their job. I don’t know if others were considered, but personally I think, you know, the two fit the kind of job the President wants to be done in those two departments.”

One of his final acts as DPWH chief was to direct regional directors to eliminate all highway obstructions and single-lane bottlenecks across national highways, specifically along the Maharlika Highway to ensure smooth traffic flow during All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

He issued the directive yesterday during the partial reopening of the Kilicao-Binitayan Bridge along the Maharlika Highway. “For 15 years, our people suffered because this bridge was left idle by corrupt practices. When I reported this to the President five months ago, he ordered us to finish it immediately,” he said.

Due to lower President Marcos ratings?

Cayetano clarified that the latest change in the Cabinet was not triggered by Marcos’ lower survey numbers, but is a “direct response to the needs of our countrymen.”

“Our President doesn’t look at daily numbers when it comes to approval rating.  What is important to our President is what can be done for the benefit of our countrymen,” he said.

A Social Weather Stations nationwide poll conducted from Sept. 21 to 27 found that 35 percent of adult Filipinos were satisfied, 20 percent were undecided and 46 percent were dissatisfied with Marcos’ performance. This translated to a “poor” net satisfaction rating of -11, lower than the “neutral” -7 he obtained last June.

Asked why “high-performing” officials need a position swap, Cayetano said their two agencies are in varying levels of need.

“The DPWH is in a position where the reforms have been implemented. What we need now is a systems builder, somebody who can take these reforms, make sure from Luzon, Visayas to Mindanao will be implemented...  In DOTr, the President needs a disruption, a quick intervention to alleviate the experiences of our countrymen commuting to work, to go to school. He said there should be less time on the road, more time with their families,” he said.

“We believe that it’s the right time for the two of them to take over the agencies based on their capability and experience.”

Dizon was appointed transportation secretary in February last year and as public works secretary six months later, replacing Manuel Bonoan, who stepped down at the height of the flood control controversy.

Lopez succeeded Dizon in the transportation department where he used to be undersecretary for administration, finance and procurement.

Cayetano said he was not aware of future changes in the Cabinet, but maintained that Marcos continues to check on how agencies are serving the public. 

Mixed reactions

The reappointment of Dizon as DOTr chief drew mixed reactions from transportation groups.

“Why the sudden change? Marcos is positioning his allies in various government agencies to help him push the administration’s agenda,” Piston national president Mody Floranda said while also stressing that “there is nothing to celebrate” in Dizon’s return.

“He was surely appointed to that position to further push the World Bank’s rotten and trashy Jeepney Phaseout program, the privatization of MRT-3 and other government programs that reek of pro-business and pro-foreign interests,” he added.

On the other hand, Pasang Masda national president Obet Martin welcomed Dizon’s reappointment and wished that he would continue the modernization efforts in the transportation sector.

Manibela chairman Mar Valbuena expressed his support for the returning secretary and thanked the outgoing transportation chief.

“We are one with the good programs of DOTr, but we will remain strong critics of those that do not serve the interests of the people, especially when it comes to transportation,” Valbuena said. — Rainier Allan Ronda, Andrew Ronquillo