Resigned DoTC chief breaks silence, denies disagreements with Aquino

MANILA, Philippines—Outgoing Transportation and Communications Secretary Jose “Ping” de Jesus said his relationship with President Benigno Aquino III and the rest of the Aquino family would remain strong and that his resignation—effective June 30—should not be taken as an affront to the Aquino administration

De Jesus submitted his resignation Monday afternoon, making him the first Cabinet official to leave the Aquino administration.

“When you add up my one year in the DoTC [Department of Transportation and Communications], with 25 more years that I spent in various positions, I realized I have devoted one third of my life in this planet in public service,” De Jesus said in a statement sent late Thursday.

“I want to spend the rest of my life in relative quiet,” he said.

De Jesus also served as secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways and Cabinet secretary during the presidency of Aquino’s mother, the late democracy icon Corazon C. Aquino. Before that, De Jesus worked at the Development Academy of the Philippines.

“This represents one half of my professional life,” he said. “It was well worth it, because our country has been generous with life’s blessings, and our people have been unselfish with their support.”

He belied claims that his resignation was due to policy disagreements with President Benigno Aquino III.

“I did not resign due to policy disagreements with the President. The President and I, in fact, share the same views on transport policies,” he said.

His resignation has also been linked to the upcoming return of Land Transportation Office (LTO) head Virginia Torres, a close friend and “shooting buddy” of the President. Torres went on leave last April and returns on June 19.

De Jesus earlier recommended the suspension of Torres after her involvement in an intra-corporate dispute at the LTO’s information technology provider Stradcom Corp. Aquino sat on the recommendation for several weeks before finally asking Torres to go on leave.

“I did not resign because, as alleged, I cannot control some of my subordinates. Having a tight rein of my organization has never been my problem,” de Jesus said.

De Jesus assured the public that reforms he initiated at the DoTC would continue even after his departure from government service.

“From my own reckoning, our accomplishments in DoTC will serve as a guide and platform for my successor to sustain the momentum. In the next few days, I will submit our list of completed and ongoing projects, including those in the pipeline,” he said.