The right man for the daily commute

For millions of Filipinos, transportation is not an abstract policy debate. It is the alarm that rings before sunrise, the crowded platform, the long queue for a bus and the hours lost between home and work. Every delay has a cost. Less time with children, less rest after a shift and fewer hours for school, livelihood or simply living. That is why the decision to return Sec. Vince Dizon to the Department of Transportation (DOTr) deserves serious consideration.

On Oct. 26, 2026, Malacañang announced that Dizon would return to the DOTr, while Sec. Giovanni “Banoy” Lopez wold lead the Department of Public Works and Highways. The government said Dizon’s priorities would be to ease daily commutes, shorten queues at the Land Transportation Office (LTO), eliminate fixers and accelerate critical mass transportation projects. These are not minor administrative concerns. They touch the everyday dignity of the public.

I believe this is the right move because Dizon has demonstrated an approach the department needs. Urgency, direct engagements with problems and attention to implementation. His first tenure as transportation secretary lasted only about six months, from February to August 2025, so it would be unfair to suggest he could have resolved decades-old transportation problems in that time. Still, the initiatives he pursued offer a useful indication of how he approaches the job.

One telling example was his decision to experience the EDSA Busway as an ordinary commuter would. Rather than relying solely on reports, he rode the route and examined the difficulties passengers faced, including confusing station navigation, access concerns and malfunctioning facilities. Firsthand inspection matters. A transport system may look acceptable in a presentation but feel entirely different to a senior citizen climbing stairs, a parent carrying a child or a worker trying not to miss the next bus. During Dizon’s first tenure, the department pursued improvements to busway stations and passenger access, including more accessible facilities. Infrastructure should be judged not only by how it looks, but by how safely and conveniently people can move through it.

Dizon also took steps to strengthen the management of major transport infrastructure. In February 2025, he issued Department Order No. 2025-002 creating a Flagship Project Management Office within the DOTr. The office was tasked with monitoring priority projects, coordinating agencies, mobilizing resources and imposing timelines. Its portfolio included the Metro Manila Subway, the North-South Commuter Railway, EDSA Busway and Greenways projects, Cebu Bus Rapid Transit and the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project. A dedicated team with clear monitoring duties and deadlines can make delays harder to ignore and accountability easier to establish. The public should expect this approach to continue, with regular updates explaining not only what has been announced, but what has actually been delivered.

What makes his return particularly encouraging, however, is that he has already begun addressing the basics of transportation. On Oct. 28, his first day back, Dizon inspected bus terminals in Manila ahead of the Undas travel rush. At Ohayami Trans, he found a cramped restroom and no toilet bowls in the men’s comfort room. At Victory Liner, he found no running water and malfunctioning toilet flushes. He also flagged inadequate waiting areas and ventilation. The DOTr issued show-cause orders and gave the operators 60 days to correct deficiencies, warning that failure to comply could put their terminal operations at risk.

Some may consider bathrooms, seats and electric fans small concerns beside billion-peso railway projects. But for passengers who spend hours waiting before a long journey, these are not trivial matters. A clean restroom with running water, enough seats, proper ventilation and a safe waiting area are basic standards, not special favors. Commuters pay for a service and deserve facilities that respect their dignity. Transportation reform must be felt not only in grand infrastructure, but also in the everyday places where journey begins.

The scale of the challenge is clear. TomTom’s 2025 Traffic Index recorded a 57 percent average congestion level in Manila. It estimated that rush-hour traffic cost drivers 143 hours over the year, which is almost six days. For workers paid by the hour, students with fixed schedules and families balancing work and caregiving, time lost on the road is time taken from other essential parts of life.

Congestion cannot be solved overnight. It requires coordinated agencies, reliable transport systems and sustained infrastructure improvements. The same urgency must apply to the LTO, where shorter queues, simpler transactions and the elimination of fixers must become realities. Efficiency means more than speed, it means fairness, transparency and respect for every Filipino.

A worker who leaves before dawn and returns after dark should not have to surrender so much of life to travel. A student should be able to reach class safely and on time. Parents deserve more hours with their children. Senior citizens and persons with disabilities should be able to use public transportation without facing unnecessary barriers. These are not luxuries. They are reasonable expectations in a country where mobility shapes access to jobs, education, health care and opportunity.

A change in leadership matters only if it changes the experience of the public. Secretary Dizon returns to the DOTr with a clear mandate and a difficult job ahead. Let us judge this decision by what follows. Not the number of announcements, but the number of commuters whose journeys become safer, simpler and shorter. When the government gives people back time, it gives them something invaluable: the chance to spend more of their lives with the people and pursuits that matter most. That expectation is practical and fair.