TWO new officials have been appointed to the railway and toll road units of the Philippine Department of Transportation (DOTr).
President Rodrigo Duterte promoted assistant secretary for railways Cesar B. Chavez to undersecretary for rail and toll roads of DOTr, while Rodolfo J. Garcia was named director V, equivalent to general manager, of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3).
Garcia, whose appointment paper was signed by Duterte last February 24, replaced Roman Buenafe, who resigned in October 2016.
Garcia is a retired police general and has served as director for operations when Light Rail Transit Authority administrator Reynaldo Berroya was then the MRT-3’s general manager.
Chavez, whose paper was signed on February 28, has been appointed as officer-in-charge of rails and toll roads after former undersecretary Noel Eli Kintanar resigned in November last year amid charges by certain sectors of conflict of interest. Kintanar used to be an official of the Ayala Group which has interests in the rail sector.
Chavez has been with DOTr since September 2016. He was assistant general manager for planning of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority from 2014 to 2015.
He served as deputy administrator of the Light Rail Transit Authority for five years, from 2005 to 2010.
Chavez held various positions at the National Youth Commission and at the Presidential Council on Youth Affairs from 1990 to 2000, and represented the youth sector as a Lower House representative from 1993 to 1995.
His other posts included director for news and public affairs at the Manila Broadcasting Co., where he later became assistant vice president.
Chavez has a master’s degree in National Security Administration from the National Defense College of the Philippines and attended the National and International Security Program of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
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