BUSINESSMAN Manuel V. Pangilinan said outgoing Transportation Secretary Jose de Jesus is welcome to go back to work with his group.
De Jesus is the former president of the Manila North Tollways Corp., a unit of Metro Pacific Tollways Development Corp. (MPTDC). De Jesus also used to work for the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) as president.
“I have worked with him in Meralco and MNTC. Before he joined the DOTC [Department of Transportation and Communications], I told him to come back assuming he is allowed by law to come back anytime,” said Pangilinan.
De Jesus is stepping down as DOTC secretary on June 30, after a year since he assumed the post. He will be replaced by former senator Manuel Roxas II. De Jesus cited personal reasons for quitting.
On June 30 three Transportation undersecretaries will also step down. They are Dante Velasco, Ruben
Reinoso Jr. and Glicerio Sicat.
In a prepared statement, de Jesus said he wanted to “spend the rest of my life in relative quiet” after June 30. “This is not a spur-of-the moment move,” he added.
Meanwhile, Malacañang sees no need for a House probe on de Jesus’s resignation.
Deputy Presidential Spokesman Abigail Valte said in a news briefing that de Jesus had already stated his reasons for tendering his resignation.
“Secretary de Jesus tendered his resignation and he has been upfront about his reasons for it. The allegations that have been coming out have been belied by Secretary de Jesus. At this point, there’s no need for a congressional investigation,” Valte said.
Party-list Rep. Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna is scheduled to file on Wednesday or Thursday a resolution calling for a congressional investigation on the issue saying, “It looks like the old corrupt habits of the previous administration are infecting the DOTC,” he said.
On Tuesday Velasco deplored as “erroneous, malicious and outrageous” allegations that de Jesus resigned over disagreement with President Aquino on the Land Transportation Office’s contract with computer-service provider Stradcom.
“They put two and two together and came up with five,” said Velasco in a statement.
(Lenie Lectura, Mia Gonzalez and Fernan Marasigan)
In Photo: Outgoing Transportation Secretary Jose “Ping” de Jesus briefs his successor Manuel Roxas II at the department’s office in Ortigas, Pasig City, on Tuesday. (Nonoy Lacza)
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