DEPARTMENT of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan is facing graft and neglect of duty charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged “arranged bidding, partiality in the selection of contractors and contractor’s use of substandard materials.”
The DPWH declined to comment on the alleged graft charges filed against Bonoan and several other DPWH officials.
At a media briefing in Quezon City, John Chiong, Task Force Kasanag chairman, said “it is impossible that he (Bonoan) does not know what has been happening inside the DPWH.”
“There is massive corruption at the DPWH, unlike any other government agencies,” he told reporters.
Regional directors were not spared from the corruption charges filed last Thursday.
Chiong said the root cause of poverty was corruption in the government.
In a five-page complaint, Chiong said several regional directors have been overstaying in their posts, citing the holdover position of Region 1 director Ronel Tan since 2016.
“The slope protection of buildings against earthquakes is much overpriced,” he said.
“If we cannot eradicate corruption, at least we try to reduce it. If we cannot reduce it, at least there is someone who fights against it,” he added.
He said Kasanag, which was established 13 years ago, would be filing a case on a multimillion-peso flood control project against DPWH officials.
The DPWH official, who requested anonymity, said the department has yet to receive a copy of the complaint, saying they don’t have any idea on what are the nature of the complaints against the DPWH officials.