Ex-DPWH chief's turn as state witness has 'dealers' quaking in boots, says Lacson

Senator Panfilo Lacson on Monday said that those who had direct dealings with former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan must be "quaking in their boots" following the recent development that Bonoan will become a state witness in a corruption case. Lacson, a former chair of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC), said Bonoan certainly has a lot to reveal – from allocables to anomalous flood control and other defective infrastructure projects, including but not limited to P500 million in exchange for his Commission on Appointments (CA) confirmation as DPWH secretary in November 2022. According to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, state prosecutors have already filed a motion before the Sandiganbayan to discharge Bonoan as an accused in the plunder case. Remulla said Bonoan's testimony would be crucial because of his institutional knowledge, which could help implicate several individuals. However, Lacson stressed that Bonoan becoming a state witness should not prevent the government from recovering money allegedly obtained through anomalous flood-control projects. He argued that, at the very least, the amount must be based on earlier testimonies by resource persons of the BRC under his watch. Lacson recalled that for the budget years 2023, 2024, and 2025, Bonoan had his own annual allocations of P5 billion, of which a 15 percent commission was collected by former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo. According to Bernardo's testimony before the BRC, Bernardo was getting 15 percent of that 15 percent kickback allocated to Bonoan, which was divided between him and the late Undersecretary Cathy Cabral. This development highlights the deep-seated corruption within infrastructure projects in the Philippines and underscores the importance of the government's efforts to investigate and hold accountable those involved in illicit activities.