Acting Transportation Secretary Giovanni Lopez has ordered the postponement of procurement of new vehicles for the Department of Transportation (DOTr) Central Office, and instead reallocating P50 million allotment to improve the facilities of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) offices for its clients or customers.

In a memorandum dated 16 October, Lopez underscored that “in compliance with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. to give the Filipino people the public transport and services that they need and deserve, the DOTr together with its sectoral offices such as the LTO and LTFRB shall undertake measures to improve the delivery of services including the enhancement of facilities used by the general public.

According to the acting transport chief, the reallotment will “improve existing waiting/client areas in their respective offices. This may include the installation of air conditioning units, provision of water dispensers ang sufficient chairs, among others.

“Tama ‘yung client na nagbigay ng feedback. Kami rito sa gobyerno ay tagapag-lingkod lang. Sabi nga ng Pangulo, we are the Filipinos’ servants, not their lords,” Lopez said.

("The client who gave the feedback is right. We here in the government are just servants. As the President said, we are the Filipinos’ servants, not their lords."

“Ginagawa natin ito dahil mas importante sa amin sa DOTr na may maayos na pasilidad ‘yung mga kababayan natin. May aircon, komportable kahit umaraw o umulan. May inuming tubig kung nauuhaw at komportable ang mga customers kung sila man ay nag-iintay. Mas mahalaga ang mga ‘yan kaysa sa mga bagong sasakyan na pwede namang i-procure kahit sa susunod na taon,” he added.

("We are doing this because it is more important to us at the DOTr that our countrymen have proper facilities. There is air conditioning, that they are comfortable whether it is sunny or rainy. There is drinking water if they are thirsty, and customers are comfortable even if they are waiting. Those are more important than new vehicles that can be procured next year.")

The acting transport chief also ordered the LTO and LTFRB to efficiently utilize the transferred funds, which is valid until the end of 2025.