MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had no knowledge of the alleged “leadership fund” that supposedly gave lawmakers hundreds of millions of pesos in infrastructure allocations, Malacañang said, rejecting accusations that the administration sought to cover up questionable practices at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
Palace Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said Marcos would not have tolerated the alleged arrangement had it been brought to his attention during the tenure of former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
“Kung alam ng Pangulo, hindi mangyayari ‘yan. Parang teacher, pag kayo ay nangopya, ipapaalam niyo ba sa teacher ninyo? Pag nahuli kayo ng teacher, hindi ba bibigyan kayo ng penalty?” Castro said.
The Palace issued the denial after Bonoan testified before the Sandiganbayan that senators allegedly received infrastructure allocations ranging from P500 million to P1 billion under an internal arrangement he described as a “leadership fund.”
Castro also dismissed allegations that the Marcos administration was attempting to conceal irregularities at the DPWH, stressing that it was the President himself who ordered a nationwide investigation into allegedly anomalous infrastructure projects.
“Hindi niya ito kinover-up,” Castro said.
She said Marcos pushed for the investigation despite the possibility that officials serving under his own administration could be implicated, arguing that the move demonstrated his willingness to pursue accountability.
Bonoan earlier told the anti-graft court that lawmakers were allegedly given project allocations through the supposed leadership fund, with senators receiving at least P500 million each and committee leaders potentially getting as much as P1 billion.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who was not yet a senator when the 2025 national budget was prepared, earlier said such project allocations were not necessarily illegal but could be vulnerable to abuse.
Castro said the alleged leadership fund was discontinued after Vince Dizon took over as DPWH secretary.
She added that no similar allocation has been included in the proposed 2027 national budget./PN
