A COMMITTEE of the Commission on Appointments (CA) approved the appointment of Transportation Secretary Vivencio “Vince” Dizon yesterday, but the confirmation of Jay Ruiz as Presidential Communications Office secretary and Henry Aguda as Information and Technology secretary were suspended due to lack of time.
No one among the members of the CA transportation committee objected to the motion to recommend Dizon’s confirmation approval to the plenary, which has been scheduled for a later date.
The schedule for the confirmation of Ruiz and Aguda has yet to be announced.
Dizon was appointed Transportation secretary by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last February after Jaime Bautista resigned for health reasons.
Dizon said his courtesy resignation was denied by the President.
During the CA panel deliberation, Senate deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros asked Dizon about the government’s plans to solve the public transport concerns of the people.
“Saan kayo susukatin Secretary Dizon pagdating sa road transport? (How far are you willing to go when it comes to road transportation, Secretary Dizon?) I hope it’s not mainly in terms of infrastructure programs — as we now know, there is no appetite in Malacanang for large and costly new initiatives and in the end, the DOTR has to be accountable for the extraordinary daily pains of the ordinary commuter,” Hontiveros told Dizon.
Dizon said he believes that constructing new roads that are wide enough to accommodate vehicular volume is not the solution to the country’s traffic congestion problems.
“Ang solusyon po talaga sa traffic ay ang pagpapatayo po talaga ng mass transport system na gagamitin ng ating mga kababayan whether mahirap, middle class, o mayaman. At doon po talaga tayo nagkulang dahil sa ilang dekada na ring pagkukulang at neglect. At ‘yan po ang pinabibilis ng ating Pangulo, ang ating mass transport (The solution to traffic is a mass transport system which the poor, the middle class, and the rich can use. That was where we were remiss, mainly decades of neglect. Providing the people with an efficient mass transport system is being rushed by the President),” Dizon said.
He said that it may be a grandiose plan, but the President would like the mass transport system to be set up within the remaining three years of his term.
Aside from Metro Manila, he said the pilot areas where a mass transport system will be in place include Baguio City, Iloilo, Bacolod City, Cagayan de Oro City, and Davao.
“This is a bus system that is very similar to what we see in bus systems in modern countries,” he said.
Dizon said that the road transport sector is one of the biggest concerns of the DOTr, adding the government needs to intensify its road safety regulations in the wake of recent vehicular “crashes,” including the wayward passenger bus that crashed into vehicles queuing at the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway
He said “crashes” cannot be defined as accidents since they can be avoided.
“Marami po sa ating regulasyon sa road safety ay regulasyon lang po na nasa papel. Hindi po talaga ipinatutupad ng tama (A lot of our road safety regulations are regulations on paper only. They are not actually being implemented properly),” he said, adding concerned government agencies should regularly conduct roadworthiness tests on public utility vehicles to prevent road crashes.
He said another concern that needs to be addressed is the issuance of a professional driver’s license, like in some countries where they require at least 150 hours of practical truck driving.
“So, ‘yan po kailangan maayos ‘yan. And I think that is one branch that I think we need to once and for all fix it. And I would want to be held accountable for that. Kasi kung hindi po natin aayusin ito ngayon, tuloy-tuloy at ga-grabe ang mga road crash na nakikita natin ngayon (W need to fix that. And I think that is one branch that I think we need to once and for all fix. And I would want to be held accountable for that. If we do not fix that now, road crashes will continue and worsen),” he added.
Sen. Grace Poe urged Dizon to support the creation of the Philippine Transportation Safety Board, an independent body that will investigate all kinds of accidents in the country, whether by air, sea, land, or rail.
“Because when an accident occurs, the bus that is not roadworthy but was given a permit by the LTO, they (LTO) are also the ones who will investigate. If there is a problem with the air (accident), the one who will investigate is also the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines. There should really be an independent body. So, I would like to ask for your support,” Poe said.
Dizon said the department will study the proposal.
