The President’s Men and Women: Can DOTC chief fix bureaucracy?

MANILA, Philippines – He did it before; can he do it again?

With his appointment as Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) secretary, corporate executive Jose “Ping” de Jesus has been pulled back to government service with a tough task: to perform once again the miracle of cleaning up a huge bureaucracy the way he did when he headed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) during the time of former President Corazon Aquino.

But De Jesus is not shirking from the challenge, and has in fact declared that his main objective is to orient the DOTC towards public service.

Upon his assumption of office last July 5, De Jesus vowed that under his helm, the DOTC will give the public excellent service and transparency.

“Every license must be processed and issued with the same care and speed of service we render to everyone,” De Jesus said. “Every franchise shall be given only to qualified applicants and meritorious proponents. In all processes, everyone will play by the same rules.”

“Second, every transaction must pass the test of transparency. Every act shall be subject to the glare of public scrutiny. Every contract must pass through the established rules of public bidding,” De Jesus said.

The DOTC chief’s bid for transparency and honest-to-goodness public service became evident when he created a new “major sector” within the DOTC from two neglected units, the Public Information and the Action Center.

He appointed Asian Institute of Management (AIM) professor and management and communications specialist Dante Velasco as undersecretary for public information in charge of the Action Center.

Under the Arroyo administration, the DOTC was rocked by the national broadband network (NBN) deal scandal. The NBN deal was awarded to Chinese firm ZTE Corp. allegedly without public bidding.

Goodbye for now

De Jesus’ return to government meant that he had to say goodbye to the private sector. For several years, he served as top executive in some of the country’s leading corporations.

He was president and chief operating officer of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) controlled by the Lopez family that owns ABS-CBN and telecommunications firm Bayantel, when President Aquino announced his appointment to the DOTC.

Before becoming president of Meralco, he headed the Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC), the operator of the North Luzon Expressway, from January 2000 to December 2008.

De Jesus also had a stint at telecommunications giant PLDT as executive vice president from 1993 to 1999.

De Jesus held the post of DPWH secretary from January 1990 to February 1993.

He also served as chairman of the Manila Waterworks & Sewerage System from 1992-1993.

Before embarking on his first tour of duty in government, De Jesus was in the academe, as long-time vice president of the Development Academy of the Philippines.

He has an AB Economics degree from the Ateneo de Manila University and a Masters in Social Psychology, also from the Ateneo. He also attended the University of Chicago for graduate studies in human development.

Same brand of leadership

De Jesus said that he will merely deliver the brand of leadership and public service that President Aquino vowed to give to the Filipino people in his June 30 inaugural speech.

In particular, he cited the President’s promise that the Filipino people will be his boss.

“From now on, we are truly public servants and the Filipino people are, in a manner of speaking, our masters. This statement rings loud and clear, telling us in government service to overhaul our ways in dealing with the public we serve,” De Jesus said. –Rainier Allan Ronda (The Philippine Star)