Outgoing DOTr chief Lopez says commuters’ welfare to remain a priority

MANILA, Philippines – Endless “thank yous” reverberated at the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) office on Monday, Oct. 26, as outgoing Transportation Secretary Giovanni “Banoy” Lopez bid goodbye to the agency he has led since September last year.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Lopez as the new chief of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), while outgoing Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon was reassigned to the DOTr, which he previously led from February to August 2025.

In a press release, Lopez expressed confidence that commuters’ welfare and the completion of major transportation projects would remain priorities under Dizon’s leadership.

“We are grateful for the trust the President has placed in us to serve at the DPWH. With Secretary Dizon returning to the DOTr, we are confident that the interests and welfare of commuters during their daily journeys will continue to be prioritized and addressed,” Lopez said.

READ: Dizon, Lopez swap agencies in latest Cabinet revamp

He also thanked DOTr personnel for their support throughout his tenure.

“I am also deeply grateful to the DOTr personnel who supported me during my tenure as secretary. Thank you, very, very much to all of you,” he said.

A lawyer and certified public accountant, Lopez has spent nearly two decades in government service.

Before his appointment as transportation secretary, he served as the DOTr’s senior undersecretary for administration, finance, and procurement from February to August 2025.

He also served as executive director of the Land Transportation Office in 2022 and as officer-in-charge executive director of the Toll Regulatory Board in 2021.

In the same year, Lopez was appointed undersecretary for finance and chief of staff to then-Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade. /mr