Whose Head Will Roll?

The TRB was created in March 1977 by PD 1112.

After a long “pingpong” or “round-robin” history, it is now an attached agency of the Department of Transportation, headed by PDU30’s billionaire secretary, Arthur Tugade.

The DOTr used to be the Department of Transportation and Communications, until it was split into two – the DOTr and the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Marcos’ Ministries

The DOTC used to be called the Ministry of Transportation and Communications when it was created on July 23, 1979, by EO 546, out of the old Ministry of Public Works, Transportation and Communications, under the 1973 Marcos “Viva Voce” Constitution.

The 1971 non-partisan Constitutional Convention’s, unfinished draft Constitution was finished by President/Dictator Ferdinand Marcos y Edralin, under Marcos’s Martial Law. The end product was a ‘mestizo’ Presidential and Parliamentary form of government.

The pre-Martial Law executive branch departments were renamed ministries.

Agencies Reorg, Split

A Marcos Martial Law Executive Order created and organized the DOTC out of the predecessor, Department or Ministry of Public Works and Communications.

Out of the split of the DPWC, came two – DOTC and the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Just to complete the story about government reorganization in the 20-year era of the Marcos Administration (both as elected [December 30, 1965 – December 30, 1969] and re – elected President [December 30, 1969 – December 30, 1973] and self – declared dictator [September 21, 22 & 23 – February 25, 1986]), we have to start with the Public Service Commission, a quasi–judicial government regulatory body of all public services.

Marcos split the PSC into many separate Boards: Communications, Energy, Transport – Air, Land and Sea, and Water .

Either before or at the creation and organization of the MOTC, agencies, boards, bureaus and/or commissions were integrated into or attached to it.

The Bureau of Telecommunications, Bureau of Air Transport, formerly, Civil Aeronautics Authority, Bureau of Land Transport, formerly, Land Transportation Commission, and Bureau of Posts, became the Telecommunications Office, Air Transport Office, and Land Transportation Office, headed by assistant secretaries instead of bureau directors or chairmen.

More Reorgs, Merges

The pre–war Radio Control Board or Office had become the Telecommunications Control Bureau under the DPWC.

It was merged with the BOC to become the National Telecommunications Commission and attached to the MOTC. The BOT became the Land Transportation and Franchise Regulatory Board and attached to the MOTC.

The CAB, Light Rail Transport Authority, Manila International Airport Authority, Metro Manila Transport Corporation, Office of Transport Cooperatives, Philippine National Railways, Philippine Aerospace Development Corporation, Philippine Ports Authority, Philippine President Lines, and TRB were also attached to the MOTC.

Eventually, the Cebu Port Authority, Mactan-Cebu Airport Authority, Northern Luzon Railway Corporation, Office of Transport Security, Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine Merchant Marine Academy were also attached to the DOTC.

TRB Composition

Under R.A 6957, approved on July 9, 1990, the TRB was transferred to the DPWH.

On January 26, 1999, President Estrada ordered the attachment of the TRB to the Office of the President.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (y Tuason) transferred the TRB, three times during her nine and a half years in office, from the OP to the DOTC on October 10, 2002, then from the DOTC to the DPWH on July 30, 2007, and then back to DOTC on December 19 of the same year.

The TRB is a Board composed of a chairman and four members. All except one of the members of the Board are ex–officio members. That means that they are members by virtue of their holding other positions in government.

The exception, now Mr. Raymund “Ray” Junia, represents the private sector but is appointed by the President. The other four are Cabinet Members/Department Secretaries of the DOTr (Chairman), NEDA, DoF and DPWH. They are usually represented by designated Undersecretaries of their respective Departments.

Whose Head Will Roll?

The big, big question, then, is who would PDU30 humiliate in public in order for the poor official to resign among Secretaries Arthur “Art” P. Tugade, Carlos “Sonny” G. Dominguez, Mark Villar y Aguilar, and Karl Kendrick T. Chua or private sector representative Raymundo “Ray” L. Junia?

The TRB’s highest official below the Board is the Executive Director, Engineer Abraham P. Sales. My bet is that it will be Sales, as lead implementer of TRB policies.

Ray, owner and publisher of OpinYon, as well as a Consumer Rights Activist, is the representative for the Private Sector in the TRB board.

As early as October 2014, he produced the Duterte for President event, outside of Visayas and Mindanao, at the Hotel Rembrandt, on Morato Ave. in Quezon City.

As an avid student of history, I take great pride in being part of it and intertwined in history.

Greetings:

As I was writing this column last Thursday, December 17, my eldest son, Jose Luis ‘Pip’ Alcuaz y Ahorro and my only daughter – in – law, Geraldine Therese ‘Gerrie’ Cuadrante y del Villar (y Crame), were celebrating their Silver Wedding Anniversary.

Last Saturday, December 19, my wife, Maria Fe Ahorro y Ramos and I celebrated our Golden Wedding Anniversary.

My parents were wed on the same month and day as us, December 19 in 1936, in the same Church as my son and his wife, the Basilica of San Sebastian at the Plaza del Carmen, at the end of Resurreccion Hidalgo St., Quiapo, Manila, were my mother lived on # 1030.

Next week, Monday, December 28, is “Ninos Innocentes” or Holy Innocents Day. Beware ! It is the day when people try to fool their friends and relatives!