ASEANEWS HEADLINE-CORRUPTION SCANDAL | MANILA: Ex-DPWH secretary Bonoan back in Philippines
Former public works and highways secretary Manuel Bonoan undergoes immigration check upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay yesterday./ BUREAU OF IMMIGRATION PHOTO
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LOOK: Ex-DPWH Chief Manuel Bonoan back in PH | ANC
MANILA, Philippines — After more than two months in the United States, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel Bonoan returned to the country yesterday.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) said Bonoan arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at 9:55 a.m. on a China Airlines flight from Taipei.
He reportedly had no companion when he arrived at NAIA.
Bonoan left for the US via Taiwan on Nov. 11, 2025. He reportedly accompanied his wife, who underwent a medical procedure. He was expected to return on Dec. 17, 2025.
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The former public works chief previously committed to return to the country on Feb. 15, a request granted by the Department of Justice (DOJ). It is unclear yet why Bonoan came back earlier.
BI Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado said they have informed Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida about Bonoan’s return.
Bonoan was placed under an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) following an order from the DOJ to monitor his travels in relation to investigation into the flood control mess.
The BI said the issuance of an ILBO aims to ensure that authorities are promptly informed about the arrival or departure of persons of interest in ongoing investigations.
Unresolved issues
One of the many issues Bonoan is facing is the alleged submission of incorrect grid coordinates for thousands of flood control projects, which Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said was a deliberate attempt to mislead Malacañang.
Because of the alleged falsification, composite inspection teams from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police and the Department of Economy, Planning and Development would be sent to the wrong locations, he noted.
Lacson also claimed that Bonoan’s alleged submission of false data was intentional, citing a reliable source.
Bonoan has yet to answer the allegation.
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Meanwhile, former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, who is now a state witness in the flood control mess, previously admitted in a Blue Ribbon hearing that Bonoan also received kickbacks from flood control projects. Bonoan called the accusations “entirely fictitious.”
With or without Bonoan, Lacson said the resumption of the Blue Ribbon committee’s flood control probe pushes through today.
