Transportation Secretary Vince Dizon explained Tuesday the context behind his memorandum, requesting the ‘courtesy resignations’ of key executives in his department, saying this was routine communication from a leadership perspective and was done in “good faith.”
In a press briefing, Dizon clarified that his memo should be taken as “just a simple gesture of good will and good faith to the newly appointed leadership,” which would allow him to find the best people who would be tasked “to do the jobs that need to be done.”
“It does not mean that I will accept those courtesy resignations in total. No, it does not mean that. It just means that we are now given the free hand to maybe move people around, if possible. Look at the talent we have already… and also look at outside talents that may be able to help us,” he added.
Dizon confirmed he issued a memo dated February 24, 2025, seeking the “unqualified courtesy resignations” of “all incumbent undersecretaries, assistant secretaries, and directors” of the Department of Transportation (DOTr) by February 26, 2025.
“It is a standard memo when there is a change in leadership in government,” he said, adding: “I want to clarify this is only for the DOTr Central Office. This is not for the attached agencies or any of the GOCCs (government-owned and -controlled corporations) under the DOTr.”
Dizon was appointed as the new secretary of the DOTr on February 21 after Jaime Bautista resigned, citing health reasons. Prior to his appointment, Dizon served as the chief regulatory officer of Prime Infrastructure.
He was also the Presidential Adviser on Flagship Programs and Projects during the previous administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program. Dizon likewise worked as Assistant Professor of Economics at De La Salle University.
