DOTr Secretary Art Tugade. Photo from the Department of Transportation
MANILA, Philippines — Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Saturday explained why he decided not to run for senator in the 2022 elections despite the endorsement of the ruling PDP-Laban party.
In a statement, Tugade said that despite being among the four Cabinet members touted to join the senatorial slate of President Duterte’s political party, he said that he did not file his certificate of candidacy (COC) for “multiple reasons.”
“One of which is by not filing my COC, I can emphasize that the efforts of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in finishing projects are not, in any way, in aid of election. It is just in doing and completing what we sincerely and honestly think is good for the country, the people, and the sambayanan,” he said.
“Tuloy ang trabaho sa pagtatapos ng proyekto (We will continue to work to complete the projects),” he added.
The Department of Transportation is one of the lead government agencies in the Duterte administration’s flagship Build Build Build program.