MANILA – Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel Bonoan has left the country even as he remains under investigation for alleged anomalies in multimillion-peso flood control projects, the Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed on Wednesday.
In a statement, the DOJ said Bonoan departed for the United States to accompany his wife, who is set to undergo a medical procedure, and is expected to return by December 17, 2025.
“We confirm the earlier departure of former DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan for the United States of America to accompany his wife for the latter’s medical procedure. Travel has been reported to be up until December 17, 2025,” the DOJ said.
It stressed that “there exists no legal prohibition to Bonoan’s constitutional right to travel.”
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) separately confirmed Bonoan’s flight to the US via Taiwan on Tuesday afternoon.
“Upon encounter, immigration officers immediately coordinated with the DOJ to verify if a hold departure order or warrant of arrest was in effect. The DOJ confirmed that none exists, hence he was cleared to depart,” BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said in a TV interview.
While Bonoan remains on the DOJ’s Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO), the measure does not bar travel but merely directs immigration authorities to monitor his movements.
Bonoan resigned as DPWH chief in August amid an ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in several flood control projects nationwide. Earlier this month, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) recommended the filing of criminal and administrative charges against him and other former DPWH officials over a P95-million flood control project in Bocaue, Bulacan./PN
