Rafael "Pye" Cunanan Yabut (born April 26, 1953) is a Filipino engineer. He was as the acting secretary of

Department of Public Works and Highways The Department of Public Works and Highways ( fil, Kagawaran ng mga Pagawain at Lansangang Bayan}), abbreviated as DPWH, is the executive department of the Philippine government solely vested with the Mandate to “be the State's engineering ...

for a month and as Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office Operations of DPWH from January 14, 2008, until his retirement last June 2016. He was also the alternate representative of the Secretary to the Toll Regulatory Board. He served as Acting Secretary under the Duterte administration from July 1, 2016, until

Mark Villar Mark Aguilar Villar (, born August 14, 1978) is a Filipino politician and businessman serving as a Senator since 2022. He served in President Rodrigo Duterte's cabinet as the Secretary of Public Works and Highways from 2016 to 2021, and was the ...

assumed the post by end of July 2016.

Early life and education

Yabut was born in

Candaba Candaba, officially the Municipality of Candaba ( Kapampangan: ''Balen ning Candaba''; tl, Bayan ng Candaba; formerly Candawe), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populat ...

Pampanga Pampanga, officially the Province of Pampanga ( pam, Lalawigan ning Pampanga; tl, Lalawigan ng Pampanga ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Lying on the northern shore of Manila Bay, Pampanga is bordered by Tarlac ...

province on April 26, 1953. His parents are Ernesto Yabut and Felipa Cunanan. He took up Bachelor of Science in

Civil Engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

Angeles University Foundation The Angeles University Foundation ( fil, Pundasyong Pamantasan ng Angeles) also referred to by its acronym AUF, is a private Roman Catholic non-stock, a non-profit educational institution run by lay persons in Angeles City. It was established o ...

and graduated in 1976. He then took up Bachelor of Science in Sanitary engineering at

Holy Angel University Holy Angel University is a private Catholic research university in Angeles City, Philippines. Founded in June 1933 by Don Juan Nepomuceno and Fr. Pedro Paulo Santos, who was later named as the Archbishop of Cáceres, is considered the first ...

in Angeles, Pampanga where he graduated in 1983. He completed his master's degree in Public Administration at Angeles University Foundation in 1996.

Career

Yabut started to work as laborer in DPWH office in Angeles, Pampanga in 1975 a year before his graduation from college. As district engineer of Pampanga First District Engineering Office, he used to supervised the "Operation Baklas Billboards" and cleared the national roads of Pampanga of illegal structures and obstructions. In 2003, he was appointed as Assistant Secretary of DPWH being the youngest among the executive committee. On January 14, 2008, he was appointed as DPWH undersecretary by then President

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...

. Yabut is known as the main official implementing the department's toll roads, including those projects under the Public-Private Partnership program. His last project was the

Cavite–Laguna Expressway The Cavite–Laguna Expressway (CALAX or CALAEX), signed as E3 of the Philippine expressway network, is a partially operational controlled-access toll expressway in the provinces of Cavite and Laguna, Philippines. The construction of the exp ...

before retiring last June 2015 to care for his aging parents. By July 1, 2016, however, he was designated as the acting Secretary of

until

assumes office by July 26 or 27.

References

1953 births Living people People from Pampanga Duterte administration cabinet members Secretaries of Public Works and Highways of the Philippines Benigno Aquino III administration personnel Arroyo administration personnel {{philippines-bio-stub