DOTr names Visayas representatives

MANILA – Department of Transportation (DOTr) OIC-Undersecretary Mark Richmund de Leon has been named by DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade as the new representative of the agency for the Visayas.

Following the request of Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Dino for a representative from DOTr to be the focal person from the agency in the Visayas, Secretary Tugade named two representatives.

Undersecretary de Leon will be the permanent representative of DOTr in the Visayas and EymardEje, Assistant Secretary for Rails and Project Implementation-Mindanao, will serve as the alternative representative.

“I am really happy that Secretary Tugade has finally assigned representatives here in the Visayas, this goes to show how serious DOTr, OPAV, and the Duterte Administration in implementing and expediting DOTr projects in the Visayas,” said Secretary Dino.

Secretary Tugade tasked the two to be the DOTr representatives during the Regional Development Committee (RDC) of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) in Visayas regions.

“The designated permanent representative is tasked to attend the NEDA-Regional Development Committee (NEDA-RDC) meetings and other coordination meetings for the effective and efficient implementation of projects involving the participation of the DOTr,” the letter of Secretary Tugade reads.

Secretary Tugade also made their appointments to take effect immediately.

The call of Secretary Dino for a representative of DOTr in the Visayas is to make sure that the agency’s projects on mass transport systems, airports, and seaports needed in the Visayas be implemented as quickly as possible.

“We welcome both Usec. De Leon and Asec. Eje in the Visayas, both are highly competent and hardworking that can help us here in the Visayas,” Secretary Dino added.

He added that this will expedite the Integrated Inter-Modal Transport System (IITS) in Cebu. The IITS will include a Bus Rapid Transit that will serve as feeder system to the backbone monorail transport system in Cebu.

Sec. Dino also revealed that after his recent meeting with the consultant from DOTr, there will be new alignments for the project to address the riding needs of the public, and promised that there will be at least two lanes per direction for private vehicles together with the planned transport systems.

Both Usec. de Leon and Asec. Eje were among those who met with Secretary Dino and other regional directors in Central Visayas on June 3, 2019 to talk about the Cebu IITS.