Department of Transportation Secretary Tugade. File photo
Some reorganization is due at the Department of Transportation as undersecretary for rails and tollroads Noel Kintanar is set to leave his post before the end of the month. Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade confirmed with Biz Buzz that he accepted the resignation of Kintanar. We understand this takes effect on Nov. 29 this year.
Kintanar joined the DOTr last July after he impressed Tugade with his deep knowledge of the railway sector—a fact the DOTr chief was happy to share during his first press conference. But some of that experience also came from Kintanar’s time as a senior official at Ayala Corp. and its infrastructure subsidiary, AC Infrastructure, just as it expanded in railways.
As many know, Ayala is a shareholder of the consortium that operates the Light Rail Transit Line 1, a train system that Kintanar also oversaw as DOTr undersecretary. The same conglomerate also operates a tollroad, which is the four-kilometer Muntinlupa Cavite Expressway or MCX.
Apparently, endless attacks questioning potential conflict-of-interest eventually took its toll, thus making it hard for Kintanar to perform his role.
We also heard there were forces using that argument to weaken or derail Tugade’s mandate to solve traffic. A lot of his policies, especially when it comes to seeking “special” powers, are unpopular with the existing order of things.
Kintanar’s successor has yet to be named, and it was not certain if Tugade would be able to make a choice by next week. In any case, DOTr insiders assured there would be minimal disruptions in that area and officials were ready to take on added responsibilities with Kintanar’s absence.
We certainly hope so, given the crucial role railways and roads play in moving the country’s infrastructure goals forward. —Miguel R. Camus
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