MANILA — Several senators have rejected allegations of irregularity after former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel Bonoan testified that lawmakers had access to allocations reaching as much as P1 billion each under what he described as “leadership funds.”
Bonoan made the claim while testifying in the malversation case involving former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. He said senators received allocations ranging from P500 million to P1 billion and identified then-Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri as the official who determined the amounts assigned to individual senators.
Zubiri, now Senate majority leader, denied that the allocations were improper, saying there was nothing wrong with lawmakers requesting government projects as long as the transactions were transparent and the projects were properly implemented.
“As long as there is no corruption, it is transparent and requested by the agency, I don’t see anything wrong. So I reiterate that there’s nothing wrong with institutional amendments for as long as projects are properly implemented so that they are neither ghost projects nor substandard,” Zubiri said.
Bonoan was also questioned about a list of projects supposedly handled by former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, which prosecutors have linked to the broader investigation into alleged irregularities in government infrastructure spending.
The former DPWH chief said senators Christopher “Bong” Go, Robin Padilla and Jinggoy Estrada had also obtained the list. He likewise said Sen. Imee Marcos had expressed gratitude to him for his assistance.
Marcos, however, said she did not know what Bonoan was referring to.
“Kababayan ko si Sec. Bonoan, hindi ko alam kung ano’ng pasasalamat ang tinutukoy diyan. Nagpapasalamat din naman ako kay Sec. Gatchalian, kay Sec. Herbosa…,” she said.
Padilla, meanwhile, called for greater context in reporting Bonoan’s testimony, particularly regarding references to project lists intended for later implementation.
“Sana lang po sa susunod ‘pag may nagsulat ng ganyan ituloy-tuloy niyo naman kasi nabanggit kami pero hindi nabanggit na FLR iyon, For Later Rrelease,” Padilla said.
Go also rejected any suggestion that he was involved in a list connected to corruption or flood control projects.
“Sigurado po ako na wala naman tayong pinasang listahan kay Usec. Bernardo. Anumang listahan na iyan, pakiklaro lang po na napakaraming listahan ang dapat aksyunan ng DPWH sa ngayon, pero hindi po ito nangangahulugan na konektado ito sa flood control o corruption. So bago magbanggit ng pangalan, bigyan sana ng tamang konteksto,” Go said.
The alleged “leadership funds” were discussed in the context of the broader investigation into questionable infrastructure projects, including allegations that government allocations were diverted to projects that were never completed or did not meet required standards.
Bonoan is expected to remain a key witness as authorities examine how project allocations were identified, funded and implemented./PN
