The Secretary of the Department of Transportation has a solid grounding in transportation having spent more than three decades in the aviation sector, culminating in being president of national flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL).

He has strong financial management background, allowing him to steer PAL through its most turbulent times.

He took on key posts at different private companies. He succeeded at turning the University of the East financially stable when he sat at the UE Board of Directors for more than two decades.

Prior to his first government post, he sat in the board of directors of various companies in different industries. He is more of a professional manager rather than a technocrat. He is a certified public accountant (CPA) and graduated magna cum laude with a degree in accountancy.
He dislikes to be praised. He endears himself to anyone at any time. He is known for his humility and disarming smile. He is soft-spoken with a fantastic memory.