The chief of the Land Transportation Office on Monday announced his resignation due to differences with Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista.
“Even as the Department of Transportation (DOTR) and the LTO both aim to succeed in serving the public, our methods to achieve that success differ. For this reason, I am stepping down, so Sec. Jimmy Bautista will have the free hand to choose who he can work best with,” Jose Art Tugade, LTO chief, said in a statement.
“I will continue to root for the LTO’s success even as a private citizen, because I will always share in Sec. Bautista’s belief that our offices can be a formidable force for good in our country,” he added.
The son of former Transportation Art Tugade’s move to resign came in the wake of adverse public reaction to the shortage of plastic cards for driver’s license that the agency is handling.
The younger Tugade was first appointed as acting general of the Manila International Airport Authority, but was reappointed as head of the LTO.
He was replaced by Cesar Chiong, a former executive of Philippine Airlines.
Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista on Monday lauded Jose Arturo Tugade for his seven-month service at the Land Transportation Office (LTO) following his resignation.
“We extend our appreciation to Assistant Secretary Jose Arturo Tugade for his 7-month stint as assistant secretary of the Land Transportation Office,” Bautista said in a statement.
According to Bautista, Tugade’s pursuit of service innovations at LTO benefited the public, for which the DOTr is grateful.
“We will submit to the Office of the President our recommendation of an LTO Chief who can display the same fervor, while aligning efforts to the mission of this Department,” Bautista said.
