1 month ago
9
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday, Feb. 13, appointed Vivencio "Vince" Bringas Dizon as the new Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), effective next week.
Dizon will replace Jaime J. Bautista who resigned to “give attention to his health”.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, in a message to reporters, said Dizon will assume the helm of the DOTr on Friday, 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,” said Bersamin.
In a statement, Bautista thanked the President for the opportunity to work as head of the DOTR—a position he considers his “most challenging stint”.
“Sec. Bautista looks forward to a smooth transition, after which a much needed vacation to recuperate from two and a half years of intense public service,” the DOTr said.
The incoming DOTr chief will help lead the Marcos administration’s “Build Better More” infrastructure program.
Among the big-ticket infrastructure projects he will oversee are the ongoing construction of the Metro Manila Subway, MRT Line 7, and the North–South Commuter Railway.
Dizon, an economist, played a significant role in the “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program of the Duterte administration.
He served as the presidential adviser for flagship programs and projects, overseeing the completion of key infrastructures that provided greater access for the commuting public.
In a 2021 story by the Manila Bulletin, Dizon cited the finalization of the new passenger terminal building of the Clark International Airport and the Phase 1 of New Clark City, as among the most vital completed projects.
“I think it is incumbent upon the next administration to not only continue but to even fast-track all the good work that has been done under the leadership of President Duterte,” Dizon was quoted as saying.
New Clark City, a rising metropolis in Tarlac, was also his priority as president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the state-run Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dizon was appointed by then-president Rodrigo Duterte as the country’s testing czar and chief coordinator of the Test, Trace, Treat (T3) Program.
He concurrently served as the deputy chief implementer of the government’s COVID-19 response.
Days before leaving office in 2022, Dizon was conferred by the outgoing Duterte with the Order of Lakandula with the rank of “Bayani” or Grand Cross—the highest recognition given to outstanding political and civic leaders.
The former president did so in recognition of Dizon’s contributions to the “Build, Build, Build” program and the country’s response against COVID-19.
Following Duterte’s term, Dizon became the chief regulatory officer of Prime Infrastructure Holdings.
The new DOTr chief’s resume includes his role as a consultant of then-Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano from 2013 to 2016 and the chief of staff of the office of then-Senator Edgardo Angara from 2002 to 2004.
He also assumed the role of undersecretary at the Office of the Political Adviser (OPA) under the Office of the President (OP) from 2011 to 2013, during the term of late former president Benigno Aquino III.
He served in the academe as senior lecturer in economics, finance, and statistics at the University of Northern Virginia in Prague, Czech Republic from 2005 to 2007, and lecturer of economics and finance at the De La Salle University (DLSU) from 1996 to 1998.
