Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday questioned why former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan allegedly received handwritten memos from private individuals endorsing infrastructure projects during his tenure.
Lacson said the revelation surfaced amid the Senate’s ongoing investigation into alleged corruption in flood control and other public works projects.
“I’m puzzled. I saw a document, a memo addressed to Secretary Bonoan. When I checked the name, only initials were indicated, so we had to search everywhere,” he revealed.
“We couldn’t find the person inside the department. How can they be sending memos directly to the DPWH Secretary? It looked like a Post-It, handwritten with a project endorsement,” Lacson added.
He expressed concern over the irregular practice, noting that the memos were not coursed through official channels of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
According to Lacson, the handwritten notes appeared to come from people outside the agency but still managed to reach Bonoan’s office, recommending specific projects for endorsement.
The veteran lawmaker said this discovery adds to a growing list of irregularities tied to DPWH operations, including questionable spending and “ghost” flood control projects.
He previously flagged the so-called “leadership fund” in the agency, which he said allowed the consolidation of lawmakers’ proposals into the National Expenditure Program even before the congressional review.
The senator reminded Bonoan of the four stages of budget management; preparation, authorization, execution, and accountability, stressing that these processes exist to prevent abuse.
Lacson also criticized how the DPWH allegedly replaced lawmakers’ original funding requests, citing one instance where a P1.5-billion allocation for multipurpose buildings was converted into P600 million for flood control works.
“What’s happening, based on the testimonies we heard from DPWH personnel, is that public funds are being treated like a toy,” he said.
Lacson announced that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee may widen its probe to include farm-to-market roads and other anomalous infrastructure programs.
He said the panel also intends to issue a subpoena for retired security consultant, Orly Guteza, who earlier claimed to have delivered bags of cash to former Speaker Martin Romualdez and ex-Rep. Elizaldy Co.
The subpoena will be sent through the offices of Senator Rodante Marcoleta and ex-Rep. Michael Defensor, who earlier presented Guteza before the Senate.
Lacson vowed that the Blue Ribbon Committee would pursue the investigation “wherever the evidence leads.”
