THE best affordable transportation for all. This was the “marching order” of President-elect Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to his incoming Transportation Secretary-designate Jaime J. Bautista. In a text message to the BusinessMirror, the former chief operating officer of pioneering flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) said, “My marching order from Marcos Jr. is to provide the riding public accessible, affordable, comfortable, and safe travel.”
A certified public accountant by training, who has worked close to 30 years in the aviation industry, Bautista faces a public transportation crisis mainly in Metro Manila, with commuters suffering almost daily in hellish queues at bus carousel stations along Edsa, the Mass Railway Transit Line-3, and the Parañaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.
Aside from complaints from commuters, he will also have to deal with transport drivers and operators struggling to keep their vehicles on the road as the cost of fuel products continues to soar.
He failed to give his opinion on calls to temporarily suspend the excise taxes on fuel products to ease transport drivers’ woes.
Consultative, bargaining skills
Colleagues of Bautista say he is up to the task at hand.
Former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor Amando Tetangco Jr., who was an independent board director at PAL, said, “With [Bautista’s] experience and background, he is well suited for the position of Transportation Secretary. He can lead the transport industry towards his objective of bringing it to global standards.”
A former colleague of Bautista, who requested anonymity, described the latter’s management style as consultative. “He listens and talks to everyone. He builds a community. This will serve him well as he will have to consult with not only transport groups, but all stakeholders (i.e., the riding public).”
At PAL, Bautista has had to handle several labor strikes, oversee downsizing programs, and negotiate numerous collective bargaining agreements with the airline’s contentious labor unions. These bargaining skills will prove useful in his new job, as Bautista tries to balance the needs of his agency’s various stakeholders.
The North remembers
The long-time aviation executive said he took on the challenge of heading up the Department of Transportation (DOTr), “after [Marcos Jr.] requested me to support his government. It’s difficult to say ‘no’ to a President elected by the majority.”
Marcos Jr. was governor of Ilocos Norte when he spoke with Bautista, still with PAL then, to plead for the return of direct flights between Manila and Laoag. Shortly after, on April 1, 2004, the carrier launched four-times weekly service between both cities, for which Marcos Jr., according to sources, was extremely grateful.
Bautista, 65, said he had been busy since Thursday, “working on the transition from the office of Secretary Art [Tugade]. I hope [the public] can give us a chance to work on our plans in the next six years.” The DOTr is currently implementing several big-ticket projects such as construction of the Metro Manila Subway, Mindanao Railway, North South Commuter Railway, Philippine National Railways Bicol Line, among others.
The incoming DOTr chief is married to the former Josefina “Joji” Nazareno; both of them had been happily doting on their two grandchildren from their only child, Jaymee. He once shared that his most memorable trip was aboard Shepherd One, the PAL flight that brought Pope Francis from Manila back to Rome in January 2015. “The Pope complimented the aircraft and our service,” said Bautista, and he asked the Pontiff to pray for him.
Bautista currently holds directorships at various LT Group firms, and is also an independent director of the Zamora family’s Nickel Asia Corp., and Cosco Capital, the retail holding firm of Lucio Co. Bautista will have to give up these positions when he assumes his post at the DOTr.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes