San juan city: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reshuffled top executives of key agencies under the Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Friday. In a press conference at the DOTr office in San Juan City, DOTr Acting Secretary Giovanni Lopez announced the changes based on appointment papers from the Office of the President (OP).

According to Philippines News Agency, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Chair Teofilo Guadiz III has been appointed as the new chair of the Office of Transport Cooperatives (OTC) and will be replaced by current Land Transportation Office (LTO) Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II. On the other hand, OP Special Envoy on Transnational Crime Markus Lacanilao will replace Mendoza as the new LTO chief.

When asked about the reason for the reassignments, Lopez noted that these executive positions are appointments solely under the authority of the OP. He stated, "At hindi kailangan magkaroon ng kadahilanan, lahat po kami na appointed officials, sinasabi nga natin parati, we work at the pleasure of the President (There's no need to have a reason, we are all appointed officials. As we always say, we work at the pleasure of the President)."

Lopez emphasized the importance of working well with the new appointees and adhering to the President's directives for the DOTr. "Ang mahalaga dito ay makatrabaho namin sila ng maayos at masunod ang bilin ng ating Pangulo pagdating sa sangay ng transportasyon (What's important is we can work with them well and follow the orders of the President for the DOTr)," he said.

Guadiz, who served as the LTFRB chief since December 2022, previously held the position of DOTr Assistant Secretary for the Road Sector. Mendoza, who has been the LTO Chair since July 2023, was credited with clearing the LTO's 11-year backlog on motorcycle plates. Meanwhile, Lacanilao played a role in bringing former president Rodrigo Duterte to the International Criminal Court as part of his duties as Special Envoy under the OP and has served as Assistant Secretary for the Office of Civil Defense.