Appointments panel seals Dizon's DoTr reign

The Commission on Appointments’ (CA) Committee on Transportation approved on Tuesday the ad interim appointment of Vince Dizon as the secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

The powerful body approved his confirmation after CA Majority Floor Leader Luis Raymund "LRay" Villafuerte Jr. made the motion to recommend his confirmation as the second Transportation chief under Marcos’s administration.

During the deliberation, Dizon was asked about his plans to improve the transportation situation in the country, including the perennial traffic along major highways in Metro Manila.

According to him, part of his priorities is to fasten the completion of big-ticket infrastructure projects, particularly “long-delayed” extensions and interconnectivity of the capital’s major rail lines — LRT-1, MRT-3, and MRT-7.

Dizon, who took office in February following the resignation of former Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista due to health reasons, was among the Cabinet officials who submitted a courtesy resignation in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive.

Dizon noted that Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin has informed him that the President retained his position as the DOTr chief.