Who is Gilberto Cruz?

Gilberto Cruz, the former executive director of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), has been named as the new administrator of the Office for Transportation Security (OTS).

An attached agency of the Department of Transportation, the OTS is the sole authority mandated to oversee and regulate security measures in civil aviation, maritime transportation, land transportation, rail systems, and related infrastructure.

Cruz replaced Arthur Bisnar at the OTS, following Bisnar’s designation as regional operations undersecretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

This is the second post for Cruz, a retired police major general, under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Cruz previously held the rank of undersecretary when he led the PAOCC in its crackdown on illegal activities of Philippine offshore gaming operations. Marcos appointed him as PAOCC chief in 2023.

Before this, Cruz also held a government post during the term of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte.

In 2020, Duterte designated him as a permanent member of the Dangerous Drugs Board which is tasked to create policies and develop strategies to combat the spread of illegal drugs.

Born in November 1964, Cruz is a graduate of the Philippine National Police Academy’s “Tagapangtanggol” Class of 1986. He later served as director of his alma mater.

Cruz became regional director of Police Regional Office (PRO) 8 in Eastern Visayas from August 2017 to May 2018. He was then transferred to PRO 13 in the Caraga region as its regional director, serving from September 2018 to September 2019.

Cruz is also chair of the PNPA Alumni Association Inc., which said Cruz’s latest appointment is proof of his “steadfast commitment to public service, integrity, and leadership.” — JMA, GMA Integrated News