Meet the new man at the helm of the Department of Transportation. In a bureaucracy often defined by hierarchy and inertia, Acting is a rare breed: a technocrat who climbed the ladder rung by rung, not by pedigree but by performance.
A lawyer and certified public accountant, Lopez didn’t parachute into power—he built his ascent brick by brick in a manner of speaking. Since joining the DOTr in 2017, he’s been the agency’s quiet engine, like a Tesla electric car. First, as Director for Legal Service, then shifting into roles that demanded both precision and grit: Assistant Secretary for Procurement, Assistant Secretary for Project Implementation, and eventually Chief of Staff to then-Secretary Art Tugade.
By November 2022, Lopez was steering another critical agency—the Land Transportation Office (LTO)—as its Executive Director, navigating reforms and roadblocks with the same steady hand.
Before taking the wheel as Acting Secretary of the DOTr, he served as Senior Undersecretary under former Transportation and now Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon, overseeing the department’s administration, finance, and procurement—like nuts and bolts that keep the machine running.
Born and raised in Cagayan, Lopez brings provincial pride and academic rigor to the table. He graduated Cum Laude in Accountancy from St. Paul University in Tuguegarao City, then sharpened his legal edge at San Beda University, Manila.
But what truly defines Lopez isn’t just his credentials—it’s his leadership style, which blends boots-on-the-ground pragmatism with a commuter-first ethos. He’s not one to rule from behind a desk. “We have to go out in the field, see the problem, and fix it in real time,” he insists. His mantra? Something like “Accountability saves lives” —whether it’s cracking down on reckless drivers or rooting out corruption within the department.
Colleagues describe him as a quiet operator with a sharp legal mind and a knack for implementation. He’s not chasing headlines—he’s chasing results.
Now, as the OIC of a department that moves the nation—literally—Lopez is no longer just interpreting the law. He’s shaping the road ahead, one reform at a time.
He may not be a headline-chaser, but his fingerprints are all over some of the most consequential shifts in Philippine transportation policy and infrastructure in recent years.
