The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has released a special order appointing Atty. Hector Villacorta as the Land Transporation Office’s (LTO) officer-in-charge (OIC) effective June 1, 2023. Villacorta follows in the footsteps of Assistant Secretary Jayart Tugade, the LTO’s previous head who stepped down after six months in office.
Villacorta’s current post is under the DOTr as Assistant Secretary for Communications and Commuter Affairs. He takes the helm while waiting for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to officially assign someone to lead the agency permanently.
Prior to his post in LTO, Villacorta was the chief of staff of former Senate President Vicente Sotto III. He was also the former secretary of the Commission On Appointments, and was an administrator for the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO). Villacorta is also a lawyer. He graduated from the University of Santo Tomas in 1971 and Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
During a small ceremony to pass the LTO's helm to Villacorta, former agency chief Tugade said that it was an honor and a privilege to have led the agency. He likewise thanked the employees and staff who supported him during his time as the LTO’s head.
Atty. Hector Villacorta
“Today as I turnover the agency with the very capable and competent Atty. Villacorta, I turnover the agency not with dreams but with real and tangible programs, policies and accomplishments and I challenged my successor to continue and add to the many reforms that we have already started here in our agency,” said Tugade during the ceremony.
During the ceremony, Villacorta stated that this change in leadership is not merely transitioning. Instead, it is a continuation of LTO’s efforts. He further adds that the people working in the agency may change, but existing work and initiatives will be carried on.
For his part, DOTr Secretary Jaime Bautista thanks Tugade for his work in leading the LTO. He likewise recognized former LTO Executive Director Giovanni Lopez for the initiatives he started in the agency.
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