Bonoan touts ‘decent’ folk in DPWH; internal antigraft body formed
Once again rejecting calls for him to resign, Secretary Manuel Bonoan of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) maintained “there are more decent people” than “scalawags” in his agency, which for weeks has remained at the center of a storm over controversial flood control projects.
In a video message posted on social media on Saturday, Bonoan said to resign and “turn my back on the problem” would be easy, “but leaving or avoiding the responsibility is not the right way to find a solution.”
“We all want to solve this problem which is caused by a few liable individuals and scalawags,” Bonoan said.
“I can proudly say to all of you that there more people who are decent and efficient in the DPWH,” he stressed.
New committee
Also on Saturday, the DPWH announced its creation of an Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Committee to carry out Bonoan’s vow to clean up the agency.
The committee, established through Department Order No. 166 dated Aug. 28, is authorized to issue subpoenas to obtain testimony, documents or other relevant pieces of information, including those requiring coordination with other agencies.
It can also inspect project sites, draw up its internal rules and procedures consistent with civil service regulations, and form a technical working group.
DPWH Special Order No. 142 appointed the following as committee officers and members:
- Undersecretary Eric Ayapana of the National Building Code Development Office (NBCDO) – chair
- Assistant Secretary Medmier Malig of NBCDO – vice chair
- Assistant Secretary Michael Villafranca, Support Services – member
- Director Gliricidia Tumaliuan, Legal Service – member
- Director Reynaldo Faustino of the Bureau of Quality and Safety – member
- Director Randy del Rosario of the Stakeholders Relations Service – member
- Assistant Director Melrose Pailma of the Bureau of Construction – member
Saturday’s message was Bonoan’s latest after DPWH infrastructure projects came under renewed scrutiny following last month’s widespread flooding in Metro Manila and various provinces.
It began with President Marcos naming the top 15 companies that had consistently bagged most of the multibillion-peso project contracts. He later personally found so-called ghost projects or faulty construction work when he inspected some of the sites.
Bulacan, Batangas suspensions
The DPWH drew more flak with the arrest last week of its district engineer in Batangas for allegedly offering a P3 million bribe to a congressman on behalf of certain contractors.
In his message, Bonoan reported that his agency had suspended some personnel of the Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office and the Batangas 1st District Engineering Office chief. The latter’s executive officers were also reassigned to Calabarzon, he added.
“We continue to validate whether the flood control projects are still there in Bulacan and other provinces in Region 3, Region 4B, Region 6, 7 and 8 from the list we submitted to the President about flood control projects from July 2022 to May 2025,” Bonoan said.
He said private citizens who suspect anomalies may contact the DPWH through a hotline—165-02—and via email: citizens_feedback@dpwh.gov.ph.
