Manila, Philippines — Vince Dizon has formally assumed on Friday the post as the new secretary of the Department of Transportation, committing to improve the transportation system in the country.
During a press briefing in Malacañang after his oath taking ceremony, Dizon acknowledged the significance of prioritizing the transportation sector to ensure effective and efficient transport system for commuters.
Citing the mandate of the President, Dizon is eyeing to focus on faster developments and implementation of various programs and projects aimed at improving the transportation system and services in all the major roads in the Philippines.
“Kailangan nating bilisan hindi lang dahil gusto nating matapos, pero dahil alam natin na kapag binilisan natin ‘yan, kahit papaano, mapapabilis na maibsan ‘yong hirap ng mga kababayan natin. That’s the purpose. That’s the purpose of the Department of Transportation,” he said.
Recognizing challenges in actualization of these plans, Dizon urged cooperation from other agencies to ensure proper and full scale implementation of transport programs.
Aside from agency-cooperation, Dizon is aiming to immerse with the public transportation experience to closer track the problems and improvements needed.
He also listed initial plans for some public transportations such as of the EDSA busway, Light Rail at Metro Rail Transits, and such to make it more efficient, aligned with the needs of the commuters.
“Pwede nating magawa ‘yan. Pero kakailanganin natin, as I said, ang suporta ng lahat. Hindi kaya ng DOTr ‘yan mag-isa. Hindi kaya ng MMDA ‘yan mag-isa. Kailangan natin ng tulong mga local government units, ng ating mga mayors sa Metro Manila. Kailangan magkasama-sama tayo para planuhin ng tama,” he noted.
DOTr SUSPENDS FULL CASHLESS TOLL POLICY
As soon as he took office, Dizon made a public announcement on suspending the re-implementation of full cashless payment policy on toll expressways on March.
Dizon noted that there are still a lot to refine with the policy’s system before it can be fully implemented.
“…Tingnan muna natin ‘yung sistema. Is there a way to make it more efficient? Lahat ba ng barrier, gumagana? Lahat ba ng RFIDs, nababasa? Kasi kung may problema pa tayong gano’n, at hindi pa ayos, perpekto ang sistema natin, baka hindi pa panahon para bigla-biglaan tayong mag-cashless,” Dizon emphasized.
In a personal stance, the new DOTr chief also believes that this policy is anti-poor and will only pose more difficulty for motorists.
“Naiintindihan ko ‘yong need to regulate. Naiintindihan ko ‘yon. Pero kailangan, that the need to regulate should not result in making the lives of people difficult. Dapat gumiginhawa nag buhay ng tao, hindi pinapahirapan. Itong cashless na ito, tingin ko, pagpapahirap ito. Kaya hindi ako naniniwala dyan, ” he said.
While the implementation of the policy may be possible in the future, he noted that its implementation now is nowhere near the present.