Marcos names DOTr Secretary-designate, other key post nominees

MANILA – President-elect Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. named on Thursday the veteran airline executive Jaime “Jimmy” Bautista as Secretary-designate of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) as well as the other key nominees in his administration’s transportation cluster.

Prior to his second retirement in 2019, Bautista, a Certified Public Accountant, worked at the country’s flagship Philippine Airlines (PAL) for 25 years and served as its President for a total of 13 years.

Bautista rose through the ranks of PAL, eventually becoming Vice President for Finance from 1993 to 1994, Chief Finance Officer from 1994 to 1999, Executive Vice President from 1999 to 2004, and President from 2004 to 2012, and from 2014 until 2019.

Moreover, Marcos named former Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) Deputy Administrator Cesar Chavez as Undersecretary-designate for Rails of the DOTr.

Chavez, who President Rodrigo Duterte appointed to the same post in 2017, was instrumental in securing the National Economic Development Authority Board’s approval for the Metro Manila Subway, Philippine National Railway (PNR) Manila to Calamba, PNR Manila to Bicol, and the Tagum-Davao-Digos Mindanao rail projects.

Chavez is also attributed for supervising the interconnection of the LRT Line 1 in Monumento to the MRT 3 in North Edsa, enabling passengers’ seamless travel.

Prior to working in the transport sector, Chavez served as the Assistant General Manager for Planning of the Metro Manila Development Authority, Chairperson of the National Youth Commission (NYC), and youth sector Representative in the 9th Congress.

Veteran journalist and lawyer Atty. Cheloy E. Garafil, meanwhile, was nominated by Marcos as Chairperson-designate of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Garafil, currently a Service Director at the Committee on Rules of the House of Representatives, was a Prosecutor for the Department of Justice (DOJ) and State Solicitor for the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).

She served as a media practitioner for more than a decade in several media organizations, including the Philippine Daily Globe, Central News Agency, Associated Press, and Malaya.

Garafil also holds a Master’s degree in National Security Administration from the National Defense College and is a Philippine Air Force reservist with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

Rounding up President-elect Marcos’ nominees for his transport cluster is Christopher “Chet” Pastrana, who will be General Manager-designate of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).

Pastrana, a successful businessman in the transportation field, brings with him decades of experience in various aspects of aviation, logistics, and public maritime transport.

Pastrana, a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Business from the University of the Philippines, Los Baños, in 1987, is currently the President and CEO of CAPP Industries, a supply and logistics conglomerate.

Pastrana also serves as the Chairman of Archipelago Philippines Ferries Corp. (APFC), which operates FastCat ferries, the sector’s most recognizable and well-respected transport provider.