DOTr gets new railway execs

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is getting new officials in charge of railways.

President Rodrigo Duterte has promoted Cesar Chavez from assistant secretary to undersecretary at the DOTr, replacing Noel Kintanar who resigned last year amid allegations of conflict of interest.

Chavez’ appointment was handed down on February 28.

Chavez, a party mate of Duterte at the Partido Demoktratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, will be taking over the job of Kintanar, who had been the undersecretary for rails and toll roads.

Kintanar resigned in November amid allegations that he had a conflict of  interest given his previous work in the private sector.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez had questioned Kintanar’s affiliations. Kintanar had served as a top executive of Ayala Corporation before being appointed to the DOTr.

READ: Alvarez wants 3 transpo execs sacked for conflict of interest

Meanwhile, Duterte also named Rodolfo Jazmines Garcia as the new manager of the Metro Rail Transit 3, which continues to be hounded by breakdowns.

Garcia, whose appointment was dated February 24, replaced Roman Buenafe who resigned in October last year.

The MRT 3 serves hundreds of thousands of commuters daily but has been beset with problems, including breakdowns and safety concerns.

The government has procured new coaches but there have been concerns that these could be defective. RAM/rga