Big-ticket items await new DOTr chief Giovanni Lopez
Metro Manila, Philippines - A major Cabinet shake-up has catapulted Giovanni Lopez to the helm of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), after the transfer of Vince Dizon to the beleaguered Public Works Department.
Lopez’s familiarity with the transport sector will help him see through major developments and big projects of the administration.
Lopez in the transport sector
Lopez took his oath as acting secretary on Monday, Sept. 1, before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. He is the third DOTr chief of the administration.
He was former undersecretary for administration, finance, and procurement when Dizon took the helm of DOTR in February 2025.
Lopez served in the same post in the Duterte administration under then DOTr chief Art Tugade and was an officer-in-charge of the Toll Regulatory Board. He was also the director for legal services under Tugade’s leadership.
He finished law at the San Beda College of Law and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2007.
Big shoes to fill
Malacañang said Lopez will build on reforms initiated by Dizon, particularly in advancing transport modernization and improving commuter safety and efficiency.
Within six months, Dizon carried out key reforms at the DOTr – many aimed at improving the commuting experience.
In the railway sector, he extended MRT-3 operating hours, deployed the long-delayed Dalian trains, and rolled out a cashless payment system.
He also ordered the removal of x-ray machines at MRT stations to cut passenger waiting time, and launched a half train fare discount for students, persons with disabilities, and senior citizens.
Under Dizon’s watch, the government finally wiped out its 11-year backlog on the production of license plates.
On the EDSA busway, the former DOTr chief ordered the repair of station timers and the deployment of enforcers at each station to manage traffic.
Pending projects
Lopez will inherit a number of ongoing projects.
In the railway sector, the DOTr earlier vowed to carry out the cashless system in LRT lines and eventually in other transportation modes such as the EDSA bus carousel and other public utility vehicles.
A specialized beep card for students, PWD, and senior citizens is also expected to be rolled out this month.
The DOTr will restart the construction of the common station that will link the MRT-3, LRT-1 and the pending MRT-7 this year, after Dizon scrapped its deal with the previous contractor over ‘excessive delays.’ He earlier set a 2027 deadline for the project.
Meanwhile, the agency promised to have a new footbridge in Quezon City by December to replace the tall walkway dubbed “Mt. Kamuning.” It will be patterned after the concourse at SM North Ave. busway station and the facility under construction near SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.
The department plans to build two stations at the EDSA bus carousel system as well in Cubao and the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.
Commuters should also anticipate whether the delayed EDSA rehabilitation will push through with Lopez and Dizon leading the agencies involved in the plan.
Lopez is also expected to address the off-on jeepney modernization - a program that has spanned three leadership changes since it was launched in 2017. Dizon previously reopened the consolidation process for non-compliant drivers and operators under certain conditions after a number of extensions.
He will inherit as well big-ticket infrastructure projects such as the North South Commuter Railway, Metro Manila Subway, and the MRT-7 with partial operations set for 2027.
