Even before he was formally appointed as the head of the Department of Transportation, Jaime Jimenez Bautista was already the subject of intrigues and a smear campaign, as other parties sought the much coveted position. The attacks continued after he was appointed, but shifted to meddling with key appointments to agencies under the DOTr and maligning the reputation of the agency heads he has chosen.
Unfortunately, the attacks continue, but this time shifting to allegations of corruption in certain agencies and involvement of the DOTr head and even Malacanang. All these malicious actions intended to disrupt Secretary Bautista from doing his job of removing the vested interest in various money-making schemes in the different agencies of the transportation department and completing the marching order of President Marcos to transform the Philippine transport sector to global standards with the use of best practices in the industry.
In his 16 months in office, Secretary Bautista has ran into strong opposition in his efforts to lower the cost of the long-delayed supply of LTO license plates, as well as IDs. Similarly, his efforts in rectifying onerous lease terms for the airport hangars, concession areas and properties continue to be thwarted by those who want to earn more from the government’s assets while continuing to pay ridiculously low lease and rental rates to the government.
An accountant by profession
Jimmy or JJB, as most of his friends and media who have known him in the private sector call him, is acknowledged for his financial and management skills, starting from his first job as a certified public accountant in 1977 with respected accounting firm SGV, under the mentorship of Washington Sycip.
It was Sycip, according to Jimmy, who instilled in him the principle of good governance, and which he has followed and applied throughout his career.
After three years with SGV, taipan Lucio Tan was quick to spot the talent of Jimmy, who Kapitan quickly hired in 1980. From his trusted position of safeguarding the finances of the LT Group, Jimmy eventually got promoted to president of Kapitan’s flagship pride, Philippine Airlines, a position in which he was able to prove his financial and management capabilities that resulted in profit for the airline company and numerous international awards.
Jimmy remained loyally by Kapitan’s side until 2019 when he retired from the LT Group. Even after his retirement, he remained as a board member in the LT Group’s medical and education arm UERMMMCI, which is both a world-renowned training ground for the medical, nursing and physical therapy professions, and is one of the leading healthcare facilities in the country today.
Jimmy’s 39 years with Kapitan, he points out, gave him financial security for his retirement, with the taipan always generous in giving bonuses for a job well-done. Even so, Jimmy and his family continue to live a modest life, pretty much out of the glare of public scrutiny.
A simple man
Jimmy, as most of the newsmen who have covered him throughout his career know, has never taken advantage of his position or the companies he served to lavishly use or spend their resources to treat or entertain mediamen just to gain media mileage or favorable coverage.
More often than not, he prefers to leave such expenditures to the proper marketing and publicity personnel.
An early riser, Jimmy is up by 5:30 am and is at the office by 8 a.m. until late into the night and even entertaining phone calls as late as 11 p.m.
Even with his own family, since his appointment to the DOTr, he has spent family holidays in the Philippines or in Singapore where his daughter’s family resides, even limiting his overseas travel to just two occasions to accompany the President’s state visits to Europe and the US.
Jimmy has no qualms about making public his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN) if need be to dispute allegations of corruption being thrown his way. He continues to live in his residence in a modest village in Makati for the last 25 years and has not bought any new vehicles, although he has two old model luxury sedans that he used when he worked with the LT Group, two sports utility vehicles and an old Mitsubishi L300.
Investigations to be conducted
Jimmy is resolute in clearing his name and getting to the bottom of corruption claims being made against him and is undertaking an internal investigation, but is likewise asking the help of the National Bureau of Investigation for a separate independent investigation to ensure any accusation of a whitewash if the investigation is conducted by the DOTr alone.
He is grateful though that the President remains steadfast in support of his effort to accomplish his mandate in the transport sector.