Why did ex-Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Sec. Manuel Bonoan receive handwritten “memos” from civilians or non-organic DPWH personnel on which projects to endorse when he headed the department?
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson bared this Tuesday as the Senate continues to look into the effects of corruption behind anomalous flood control and other infrastructure projects.
“I am baffled by the documents I saw, where Bonoan received handwritten memos that turned out to be from civilians or non-organic DPWH personnel. How did these memos, which were scribbled on Post-It notes, get to Bonoan?” Lacson said in Filipino in an interview on DZBB radio.
“That’s the hard part. Such communications didn’t go through the official channels of the department. Why is the secretary dealing with them directly?” he added.
In Filipino: Lacson: Ex-DPWH Chief Bonoan Tumanggap ng mga “Memo” Mula sa Tagalabas?
It is the latest in a series of irregularities uncovered by Lacson in the DPWH, while investigating the corrupt practices that led to substandard and ghost flood control projects.
Earlier, Lacson voiced surprise over the “leadership fund” in the DPWH where Bonoan said they consolidate the requested proposals of lawmakers in the National Expenditure Program – thus allowing lawmakers to tinker with the budget before they are authorized to do so.
This prompted Lacson to remind Bonoan of the four stages of the budgeting process, starting with budget preparation where the executive branch creates the proposed budget; authorization where Congress debates and approves the budget; execution where agencies spend approved funds; and accountability where bodies like the congressional oversight committees and the Commission on Audit monitor how the funds are spent.
Lacson also lamented how the DPWH would arbitrarily change even the requests of lawmakers – such as substituting a P1.5-billion request for multipurpose buildings with P600 million in flood control projects – indicating how kickbacks now have priority over needs.
“From the testimonies of DPWH personnel, it appears public funds have become nothing more but a toy for corrupt DPWH officials,” he said.
“The projects included in the NEP should stem from the local development plans of regional development councils. But when lawmakers make insertions, the projects become contractor-driven because they look at which favored contractors can deliver kickbacks. Because of this, we have substandard and ghost flood control projects,” he added.
Expanding Blue Ribbon Probe
Lacson said the Blue Ribbon probe into flood control projects could expand to other anomalous infrastructure projects, including farm-to-market roads, after seeing how the DPWH over time allowed such corruption.
“Over time, the DPWH allowed such abuses because they went undetected or unpunished. In the course of time, this became a lucrative practice,” he said.
New Witness, Guteza Subpoena
Lacson said that should he be elected anew as chairman of the Blue Ribbon Committee, it will hold its next hearing on Nov. 14, with at least one “very important witness” invited to the hearing.
Lacson said the witness may link more names to the mess. When asked if these big names include government officials, he said they may include government officials and civilians.
Also, Lacson said the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee will subpoena retired T/Sgt. Orly Guteza for its Nov. 14 hearing, and course this through the office of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta and ex-Rep. Michael Defensor.
“We will send Guteza a subpoena through the office of Sen. Marcoleta and/or the residence or office of Defensor. They had a hand in presenting Marcoleta, so we hope they know how to contact Guteza,” Lacson said in an interview on One News late Monday.
He said a review of Senate CCTV footage showed Guteza arrived at the Senate at 8:27 a.m. of Sept. 25 and stayed at the office of Marcoleta for some 30 minutes before going down to the gallery of the session hall where the hearing was being held.
Guteza had claimed that he delivered suitcases of cash to the homes of ex-Rep. Elizaldy Co and former Speaker Martin Romualdez. Romualdez denied the allegation, even as lawyer Petchie Espera claimed her supposed signatures that appeared on Guteza’s notarized affidavit were not hers.
Lacson said he was informed that the Executive Judge of the Manila Regional Trial Court found that the signature in Guteza’s notarized affidavit inconsistent with that of Espera. The Executive Judge recommended that Guteza and those responsible for presenting his affidavit undergo preliminary investigation for falsification.
He said that while Guteza’s statement before the Blue Ribbon Committee remains valid, the development may affect his credibility.
Also, Lacson said he has instructed the committee – in case he is reelected as panel chairman – to subpoena the contractor building Romualdez’s alleged residence, along with the project logbook, to verify Guteza’s claim of delivering cash to Romualdez between December 2024 and August 2025.
Lacson added that while a record and background check on Guteza showed he had a good service record in the Marines, there is still no corroborative evidence to back his claim that he served as a security detail of ex-Rep. Elizaldy Co.
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Lacson: Ex-DPWH Chief Bonoan Tumanggap ng mga “Memo” Mula sa Tagalabas?
Bakit tumatanggap ng mga sulat-kamay na “memo” galing sa sibilyan o non-organic na tauhan ng departamento si dating Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan tungkol sa mga proyektong dapat niyang iendorso noong pimamumumuan pa niya ang ahensya?
Ibinunyag ito ni Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson nitong Martes, sa gitna ng patuloy na pagimbestiga ng Senado sa epekto ng korapsyon sa mga maanomalyang proyekto sa flood control at iba pang imprastraktura.
“Nagtataka ako. May nakita akong dokumento, nagme-memo kay Sec. Bonoan. Nang pina-check ko ang pangalan, kasi naka-indicate lang doon initials, so hanap kami ng hanap. Hindi namin makita sa loob ng departamento… Paano sila nagme-memo sa Secretary ng DPWH? Parang Post-It, handwritten naka-Post-It na may ineendorsong proyekto,” ani Lacson sa panayam ng DZBB.
“Yun ang mahirap eh. Hindi dumadaan sa official channel ng departamento, parang sumosolo yata si Secretary, may sariling diskarte. E departamento niya na yan, bakit kailangang sumideline ka pa sa labas?” dagdag niya.
Isa ito sa pinakahuling iregularidad na ibinulgar ni Lacson sa DPWH habang tinutukoy ang mga gawaing tiwali na nagdulot ng substandard at ghost flood control projects.
Bago nito, nabigla si Lacson sa tinatawag na “leadership fund” sa DPWH, kung saan sinabi ni Bonoan na doon nila kinokonsolida ang mga proposal ng mga mambabatas sa National Expenditure Program (NEP) — kaya nagkakaroon ng pagkakataon ang mga mambabatas na kalikutin ang badyet kahit hindi pa sila pinahihintulutan.
Ipinaalala ni Lacson kay Bonoan ang apat na yugto ng proseso ng pagbubuo ng badyet: budget preparation kung saan ginagawa ng ehekutibo ang panukalang badyet; authorization kung saan tinatalakay at inaaprubahan ng Kongreso ang badyet; execution kung saan ginagastos ng mga ahensya ang aprubadong pondo; at accountability kung saan mino-monitor ng oversight committees at Commission on Audit kung paano ito ginastos.
Ikinagalit din ni Lacson kung paanong basta-basta na lamang pinapalitan ng DPWH ang mga hiling ng mga mambabatas — gaya ng pagpapalit ng P1.5-bilyong pondo para sa multipurpose buildings tungo sa P600-milyon na flood control projects — na nagpapakita umano na mas prayoridad na ngayon ang “kickback” kaysa pangangailangan ng bayan.
“Ang nangyayari ayon sa narinig naming testimony ng taga-DPWH, parang laruan sa kanila ang pondo ng bayan,” aniya.
“Ang planning (ng proyekto), galing sa nilikom ng regional development council na nagsagawa ng local development plans. Pag na-consolidate ipapasok sa NEP. Pero galing sa mambabatas, ang masama, naging contractor-driven, hindi priority-based… Ang tinitingnan sino ang suking contractor na maka-deliver ng project at alam natin rigged halos lahat na bidding. Ang masama doon, isa-substandard nila and worse ginagawang ghost para 100% ang kita,” dagdag ni Lacson.
Palalawakin ang Imbestigasyon ng Blue Ribbon Committee
Ayon kay Lacson, posibleng palawakin ng Blue Ribbon Committee ang imbestigasyon hindi lamang sa flood control projects kundi pati sa iba pang maanomalyang proyekto gaya ng farm-to-market roads, matapos niyang makita kung paano pinabayaan at inabuso ng DPWH ang sistema.
“Ang DPWH over time pinabayaan o inabuso dahil nakita nilang lumulusot. In the course of time pinondohan ng pinondohan dahil alam nilang pagkakakitaan,” aniya.
Bagong Testigo at Subpoena kay Guteza
Sinabi rin ni Lacson na kung siya ay muling maihahalal bilang chairman ng Blue Ribbon Committee, itatakda niya ang susunod na pagdinig sa Nobyembre 14, kung saan imbitado ang isang “very important witness.”
“Mas lalawak ang at may madadagdag na pangalan na medyo malalaki,” ani Lacson.
Nang tanungin kung may mga opisyal ng pamahalaan na kabilang dito, sinabi ni Lacson na maaaring kabilang ang mga opisyal ng gobyerno at mga sibilyan.
Dagdag pa ni Lacson, ipapatawag din ng Blue Ribbon Committee sa pamamagitan ng subpoena si retired T/Sgt. Orly Guteza para sa pagdinig sa Nobyembre 14, na ipapadala sa pamamagitan ng opisina ni Sen. Rodante Marcoleta at/o dating Rep. Michael Defensor.
Ayon kay Lacson, umaasa ang komite na matutulungan nina Marcoleta o Defensor na matunton si Guteza dahil sila ang may papel sa pagpapakilala nito sa Blue Ribbon Committee noong pagdinig ng Setyembre 25.
“Ang subpoena papadala namin sa kanya, course namin sa OS Marcoleta and/or sa residence or office ni Defensor. Sila ang nag-present lalo si Marcoleta. Kaya sana alam nila paano ma-contact,” ani Lacson sa panayam sa One News.
Sinabi ni Lacson na batay sa CCTV footage ng Senado, dumating si Guteza sa gusali noong Setyembre 25 nang 8:27 a.m., at nanatili sa opisina ni Marcoleta nang humigit-kumulang 30 minuto bago bumaba sa gallery ng session hall kung saan ginaganap ang pagdinig.
Binanggit ni Guteza na naghatid siya ng mga maleta ng salapi sa mga bahay nina dating Kinatawan Elizaldy Co at dating Speaker Martin Romualdez. Mariing itinanggi ni Romualdez ang akusasyon, habang sinabi naman ni Atty. Petchie Espera na ang mga pirma sa notarized affidavit ni Guteza ay hindi kanya.
Dagdag ni Lacson, ipinaalam sa kanya na natuklasan ng Executive Judge ng Manila Regional Trial Court na hindi tugma ang pirma sa affidavit ni Guteza sa tunay na pirma ni Espera. Inirekomenda ng hukom na isailalim sa preliminary investigation si Guteza at ang mga sangkot sa pagpapasa ng naturang affidavit para sa posibleng kasong falsification.
Ani Lacson, bagama’t kikilalanin pa ng Senado ang salaysay ni Guteza sa harap ng Blue Ribbon committee, may lumalabas na tanong tungkol sa kredibilidad nito.
Inatasan na rin ni Lacson ang komite na ipatawag sa pamamagitan ng subpoena ang kontraktor na gumagawa umano ng bahay ni Romualdez, pati na rin ang logbook ng proyekto, upang mapatunayan ang pahayag ni Guteza na naghatid siya ng salapi kay Romualdez sa pagitan ng Disyembre 2024 at Agosto 2025.
Bagama’t lumalabas sa record at background check kay Guteza na maganda ang kanyang service record sa Marines, walang “corroborative evidence” na magpapakitang naging security detail siya ni dating Rep. Elizaldy Co.
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