Every senator had P500 million in DPWH priority project funds, Bonoan testifies

National

ALL senators in 2024 had at least P500 million in Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) allocations for their priority projects under a “leadership fund,” former department chief Manuel Bonoan testified before the Sandiganbayan on Wednesday.

Bonoan made the disclosure while testifying for the prosecution in the malversation case against former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., who is accused of conspiring in an alleged ghost infrastructure project in Pandi, Bulacan, worth P92.8 million, supposedly in exchange for a 25-percent kickback.

Revilla has repeatedly denied the allegation and is out on P1-million bail.

Bonoan said he discussed the parameters of the leadership fund with then-Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, with the fund placed under the Senate president’s discretion subject to agreed thresholds.

Zubiri, however, denied handling lists of project requests from senators.

“I refused to handle any such list,” Zubiri said in a statement quoted by the Inquirer. “With that said, I see nothing wrong with making institutional amendments to support roads, bridges, airports, seaports and other critical infrastructure for far-flung communities, as long as these are requested and approved by the implementing agency, properly carried out and free from any interference driven by personal interests or corruption.”

According to Bonoan, senators were entitled to a minimum of P500 million each, while chairpersons of major committees, including the Senate committee on public works, could receive at least P1 billion.

Revilla, who chaired the public works committee during the 19th Congress, had a P1-billion allocation under the fund.

Bonoan also testified that Revilla availed himself of the leadership fund for fiscal years 2024 to 2025.

Revilla’s list of priority projects was submitted through former DPWH undersecretary for operations Roberto Bernardo, Bonoan said. He added that senators did not personally approach him, with requests instead relayed through their staff or DPWH officials.

Associate Justice Ronald Moreno asked how many senators availed themselves of the fund. Bonoan said records showed that all senators did for fiscal year 2025. He also testified that there was nothing wrong with senators asking the DPWH to fund their priority projects.

Senator Panfilo Lacson was not included because he was no longer an incumbent senator when preparations for the 2025 fund were made in 2024.

Lacson later called for the abolition of the leadership funds, which he described as a new form of pork barrel.

Bonoan said the DPWH introduced the mechanism in fiscal year 2024 after the department’s core programs suffered substantial budget cuts. The leadership fund was intended to incorporate senators’ priority projects into the agency’s budget.

He said the late DPWH Undersecretary for Planning Maria Catalina “Cathy” Cabral conducted the final vetting to ensure projects met the department’s priorities and budget criteria before their inclusion in the proposed budget submitted to the Department of Budget and Management.(MyTVCebu)