On May 22, 2023, assistant secretary Jose Arturo ‘Jay Art’ Tugade announced that he was stepping down from his role as chief of the Land Transportation Office (LTO). Tugade cited his differences with the Department of Transport (DOTr) as the reason for resignation.
“Even as DOTR and LTO both aim to succeed in serving the public, our methods to achieve that success differ,” said Tugade in his official statement.
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On May 31, 2023, The DOTr has announced a new officer-in-charge (OIC) for the LTO. Atty. Hector Villacorta will lead the agency ‘in a concurrent capacity’ while Tugade’s resignation will be effective by June 1, 2023.
Prior to his resignation, Tugade said “I will continue to root for the LTO's success even as a private citizen, because I will always share in Sec. Bautista’s belief that our offices can be a formidable force for good in our country.”
So, who is Atty. Villacorta? Villacorta is also the DOTr’s assistant secretary for communications, a role he will continue even as OIC of the agency. Prior to that, he was the former secretary for the Commission on Appointments, and he also served as the chief of staff of former Senate majority leader Vicente ‘Tito’ C. Sotto III. In LTO’s new leader was also an administrator for the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO).
