Ex-Duterte adviser Vince Dizon is new DOTr chief

Metro Manila, Philippines - Former Bases Conversion and Development Authority chief and ex-presidential adviser Vince Dizon will be the new transportation secretary effective Feb. 21, Malacañang said on Thursday.

The Palace said Dizon will replace Secretary Jaime Bautista who has resigned for health reasons.

“Pres. Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has accepted his resignation while appointing a replacement. Sec. Bautista thanked the President for the opportunity to work in government which Bautista considered his most challenging stint,” the Department of Transportation said in a statement.

Dizon was presidential adviser for flagship programs and projects under the Duterte administration.

He was also the testing czar and deputy chief implementer of the government’s action plan against COVID-19.

“He (Dizon) 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,” Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said.

Dizon will have a number of big ticket projects on his plate, including the Metro Manila Subway Project and the North-South Commuter Railway System.