ICI wants Bonoan, 2 others probed over ghost project

MANILA, Philippines, November 5 ------ The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has asked the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate resigned public works chief Manuel Bonoan and two former undersecretaries for possible liability over a P72.3-million “ghost” flood control project in Plaridel, Bulacan.

At a briefing, ICI chairman Andres Reyes Jr. said Bonoan and former public works undersecretaries Roberto Bernardo and Maria Catalina Cabral should be investigated for “potential violations” of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. The ICI recommendations were contained in an 18-page interim report submitted to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, detailing irregularities in the non-existent P72.3-million riverbank protection structure construction project in Plaridel, Bulacan undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways Bulacan (DPWH) 1st District Engineering Office (DEO) with contractor Topnotch Catalyst Builders. Inc.

“Public office is a public trust. Public office means sacrifice for the betterment of the Filipino people and not to make your life better at the expense of the people,” Reyes said, reading from a statement. “Based on the circumstances at hand, the DPWH public officials appear to have been grossly negligent, if not remiss, in the performance of their respective duties to ensure that the project was properly implemented and that government funds were properly disbursed,” the ICI noted.

“Under the Administrative Code of 1987, secretary Bonoan was granted the authority and responsibility to exercise the mandate of DPWH and to discharge the powers and functions of DPWH. As secretary, he had supervision and control of DPWH,” the ICI said. “The above-described scheme perpetrated by senior DPWH employees was made possible because secretary Bonoan betrayed such trust reposed on him,” it added. “He miserably failed to exercise simple diligence tantamount to fraud in ensuring the judicious use of public funds entrusted to DPWH,” the ICI pointed out.

Based on DPWH documents, “the plunder of public funds happened right under his nose,” the ICI said, referring to Bonoan. “Were it not for the President’s 2025 SONA, secretary Bonoan’s inexcusable negligence tantamount to fraud would have resulted in further plunder of public funds,” the ICI stressed.

On Bernardo and Cabral, the ICI said, “their duties and responsibilities pertaining to Operations and Planning, respectively, made them intimately in the know of the activities of senior DPWH officials and responsible for the overall economical, efficient and effective administration of public funds entrusted to DPWH.”

The ICI also recommended the filing of administrative charges against former DPWH Bulacan 1st DEO officials and personnel Henry Alcantara, Brice Ericson Hernandez, Ernesto Galang, Jaypee Mendoza, John Michael Ramos, Irene DC Ontingco, Joshua Blitz Roxas and Bernardo Villafuerte. The ICI earlier recommended the filing of criminal charges against Alcantara, Hernandez, Galang, Mendoza, Ramos, Ontingco, Roxas and Villafuerte, as well as against Topnotch Catalyst president Eumir Villanueva and other corporate officers and shareholders of the construction firm.

Source: philstar.com