FORMER Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas III is being eyed as the new chief of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) starting July 1.
Roxas, the vice-presidential running mate of president Benigno Aquino III in the 2010 presidential elections but who lost to Jejomar Binay, is being tapped to replace Jose de Jesus who resigned as DOTC secretary last week due to personal reasons.
But newspaper reports over the weekend claimed De Jesus quit due to lack of support from Malacañang on various issues, including the one involving Land Transportation Office head Virginia Torres, whom President Aquino had handpicked for the post.
De Jesus had wanted Torres suspended to allow for a greater Department of Justice inquiry into controversies involving Stradcom Corp, the information technology systems provider of the LTO.
According to Malacañang, Roxas was asked to handle the DOTC post since the order appointing him as the new presidential Chief of Staff has yet to be signed. Malacañang did not qualify whether Roxas will continue to be DOTC secretary if he finally becomes chief of staff.
Three DOTC undersecretaries handed in their resignations after de Jesus tendered his. In a press briefing, undersecretaries Dante Velasco, Glicerio Sicat and Ruben Reinoso said they were also resigning on June 30 to give the next DOTC chief a free hand in selecting his team.
Sicat, who heads the department’s aviation group, said he will return to the private sector.
Reinoso, chief of the DoTC’s planning and project development sector, will return to his old post as National Economic Development Authority assistant director general.
Velasco said he would focus on his post as undersecretary at the Office of the President.
