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Elijah Felice Rosales - The Philippine Star
February 28, 2025 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Transport officials from the Duterte administration landed some of the highest posts in the Department of Transportation as Secretary Vince Dizon yesterday welcomed new officials into the DOTr.
Giovanni Lopez was appointed undersecretary for administration, finance and procurement, taking with him his experience as the right-hand man of former transport chief Arthur Tugade.
Lopez was a former undersecretary for finance of the DOTr during the Duterte years. Lopez also used to handle Tugade’s public affairs as his chief of staff and worked as head of the DOTr unit for project implementation.
Likewise, Mark Steven Pastor is returning as undersecretary for road transport and infrastructure. Pastor, the poster boy for the EDSA busway, resigned from the post in 2023 to focus on his health.
Jim Sydiongco, who used to head the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) during Duterte’s time, is back in government service as undersecretary for aviation.
Prior to his return to the DOTr, Sydiongco was hired by low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific as aviation safety consultant for his background in aircraft accident prevention as a member of International Society of Air Safety Investigators.
Ramon Reyes, former vice president of government contractor Stradcom Corp., is designated as undersecretary for road transport and non-infrastructure.
Moreover, Dizon is adding to his team Teodorico Jose Delfin as undersecretary for planning and project development. Hailing from the power industry, Delfin used to be with First Gen Corp. as senior vice president.
Dizon also welcomed Dioscoro Reyes as assistant secretary for road transport and non-infrastructure and Raul del Rosario as acting director general for CAAP.
Villamor Ventura Plan, former head of the now-defunct One-Stop Shop Inter-Agency Tax Credit and Duty Drawback Center, is helping the DOTr as assistant secretary for maritime.
The STAR last week reported the reorganization among the ranking officials of the DOTr to give Dizon a free hand in choosing the people he would work with.
Like his new DOTr colleagues, Dizon hails from the Duterte administration, having served as the president and chief executive officer of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.
