By Raymond Carl Dela Cruz
Former Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade vowed support for his successor Jimmy Bautista, as the latter committed to continuing the “big-ticket” projects and policies of the department.
In a statement on Thursday, Tugade called on government workers and officials under the DOTr to “give the same, if not more,” amount of support to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. who took his oath of office Thursday.
“We shall extend the needed help and support we can give to the new administration, for their success is the success of the Filipino people,” he said.
He thanked former President Rodrigo Duterte for trusting him with the DOTr for six years, his coworkers in the DOTr and attached agencies, and development partners.
“Looking at how far we have come, I can proudly say that our toil was not in vain,” he said.
He also thanked the public for their support for the DOTr.
“Kayo ang naging pangunahing rason sa pagtupad ng aming mandato at pagtupad sa utos ng ating mahal na Pangulo to make the life of the Filipino people comfortable and convenient (You are the primary reason for us to perform our mandate for the realization of the order of our beloved President to make the life of the Filipino people comfortable and convenient),” he said.
As he and officials step down, he noted that he is still “full of hope and enthusiasm” to give Filipinos an improved quality of life.
“As what we have vowed six years ago, we shall be leaving this organization better than what it was before we came in,” he said.
At noon Thursday, Marcos took oath as the 17th President of the Philippines and was sworn in by Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo at the National Museum in Manila.
Within the same day, Marcos is set to administer the mass oath-taking of his Cabinet Secretaries at the Malacañan Palace and host an inaugural dinner.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1177922
