Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon has tapped a trusted and capable kabalen, Irish “IC” Calaguas of Angeles City, as the new Assistant Secretary for Right of Way Acquisition for Rail and Road.

Calaguas officially took her oath on Monday, April 14, bringing with her a wealth of experience in leadership, governance, and public administration.

Prior to her appointment, Calaguas served as Vice President for Operations at Clark International Airport Corporation. She also held high-ranking positions in government, notably as Chief of Staff and Deputy Director General for Administration of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) under then-director Gen. Aaron Aquino from 2017 to 2020.

From 1999 to 2013, she was Chief of Staff to former Congressman Carmelo “Tarzan” Lazatin. More recently, she played a key political and administrative role in Angeles City as the Chief Political Strategist of Mayor Carmelo “Pogi” Lazatin Jr. during the 2019 and 2022 elections. She also led the city’s COVID-19 response and vaccination efforts from 2020 to 2022.

Calaguas holds a Mass Communication degree from New Era University, along with a Master’s in Business Administration from the same institution, a Master of Arts in Education from the Philippine Women’s University, and a Doctorate in Business Administration from Geneva Business School.

She further honed her skills through executive education programs at prestigious institutions such as the University of Oxford, Harvard Kennedy School, and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

A recipient of the Senator Gerry Roxas Leadership Award, Calaguas also passed the four-stage Career Service Executive Eligibility in 2020.

With her deep experience and strategic acumen, Calaguas is seen as a key player in advancing the DOTr’s goals under Secretary Dizon’s leadership, particularly in fast-tracking right of way and site acquisitions vital to the country’s major transport infrastructure projects.