Thomas Orbos formally took his oath as Transportation undersecretary and bade goodbye to his post as general manager of the Metro Manila Development Authority to focus on his new job coordinating traffic plans between national agencies and local governments in the National Capital Region.
“MMDA will always be a part of who I am, and I am thankful for being part of an agency, which, despite being under-equipped, remains dedicated to serving Metro Manila,” Orbos said.
“It is truly an honor to have worked and served with the people here at MMDA, from the directors to the laborers, who all take their jobs seriously, with their hearts to it. “I am glad that I am back on the roads as undersecretary for the road sector,” he added.
Orbos served as the MMDA’s assistant general manager for planning during the time of then-President Benigno Aquino III, and eventually became the agency’s officer-in-charge after being appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as GM.
He led the agency for eight months until the present chairman, Danilo Lim, was appointed last May, and the responsibility of traffic management was given to the new MMDA appointees.
Orbos assured that despite leaving the MMDA, concerns regarding traffic especially in the metropolis will still be properly addressed through proper coordination and stronger cooperation among agencies through the Inter-Agency Council for Traffic.
During his stint at the MMDA, Orbos, with the concurrence of the Metro Manila Council, introduced and implemented a handful of policies like the no-window hour, expanded number coding, and light trucks ban, all to ease the traffic in Metro Manila.
Orbos was replaced by Jose Arturo Garcia, who also served as MMDA’s Assistant General for Planning.
The 52-year-old “Tim”, as friends fondly call him, is the youngest of five Orbos siblings—three boys and two girls—from the province of Pangasinan.
His eldest brother, Oscar, was a congressman who also served as Executive Secretary and then Transportation and Communication secretary for the late former President Corazon Aquino, while the second eldest, Father Jerry Orbos, is a well-known Catholic priest and a newspaper columnist.
Orbos’ sisters are Melita, who is a deputy commissioner in the Bureau of Customs, and Thelma, who works as a teacher in the United States.