Category: Philippines Daily Inquirer

Former Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan explained that it was President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who asked him to resign from his post a year ago amid public outrage over the flood control corruption scandal.

Bonoan was testifying before the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division on Tuesday in the graft trial of former Sen. Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr. when Chairperson Associate Justice Michael Frederick Musngi noted the timing of the ex-secretary’s appearance and asked why he had resigned.

‘Your Honor, I was asked to submit a courtesy resignation,’ Bonoan answered.

Musngi pressed on who had made the request for the then-DPWH chief to leave his post.

‘It was relayed to me, Your Honor,’ Bonoan replied.

Asked by Musngi whether the request had come in the form of a ‘message from the president,’ Bonoan answered in the affirmative.

In August 2025, a month after Marcos launched the government’s anti-corruption drive in infrastructure projects, Bonoan maintained that he would remain at his post, saying to resign would be to ‘turn [his] back to the problem.’

Days later, Malacañang confirmed that Bonoan had resigned from his post, with Marcos explaining that it was due to ‘command responsibility.’

Bonoan was ultimately charged alongside Sen. Jinggoy Estrada over a purported scheme involving P573 million in kickbacks.

‘Nothing wrong with leadership fund’

The former DPWH was called to testify in the Revilla graft case.

Revilla is accused of involvement in a P76.91-million flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan, which state prosecutors claimed to be ‘non-existent.’

Bonoan previously testified in the malversation case against the former senator before the Sandiganbayan Third Division.

The ex-secretary claimed that his department created a ‘leadership fund’ availed by ‘all senators’ in 2024-including Revilla, who then chaired the chamber’s public works committee-in a bid to address budget cuts to the agency.

‘There’s nothing wrong for senators to avail of the leadership fund as long as they are consistent with the core programs of the department. It is actually embedded in the criteria for the selection of projects,’ Bonoan maintained.

‘In fact, all the projects submitted by the proponent senators are vetted and conform with the programs of the department,’ he added.

‘What would be wrong is actually in the implementation of the projects. That’s another area of concern,’ he further said.

He explained that, in implementing the projects between fiscal years 2023 and 2025, the DPWH had supposedly not been given the adequate budget to conduct feasibility studies and preliminary engineering.

Bonoan likewise confirmed that he had met with Revilla on several occasions but only to ‘discuss the status of pending bills pertaining to the DPWH,’ particularly on the declaration of national roads and additional engineering districts.

Further, upon cross-examination by Revilla’s legal counsel, Bonoan said he had no personal knowledge of Revilla’s requested projects since the list had been supplied to him via Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo.

At the end of the hearing, the prosecution said it will present 20 more witnesses in the Revilla case, with DPWH Assistant Secretary Alex Bote up next on Sept. 8.

The proposed P7.2-trillion national government budget for 2027 is vulnerable to political manipulation ahead of the 2028 elections, with budget watchdogs warning that billions of pesos in discretionary and localized projects could be used for patronage despite shrinking fiscal space.

Kenneth Abante, coconvener of the People’s Budget Coalition, said the national expenditure program was not ‘people-centered,’ as the Marcos administration claims, but ‘more centered on politicians.’

‘We are worried that the 2027 budget will be politicized for the coming elections,’ Abante told the Inquirer in a text message.

He said about P735 billion in discretionary funds could be exposed to ‘waste, fraud, abuse and patronage.’

Among the programs flagged as susceptible to political meddling are the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s cash assistance, the Department of Labor and Employment’s program for displaced workers, and the Department of Health’s medical aid for indigent patients.

Also at risk are infrastructure programs such as farm-to-market roads, health facility improvements, and flood control projects.’It is striking that hyper-local, patronage-driven projects are prioritized,’ said public finance specialist Zy-Za Nadine Suzara.

The Department of Budget and Management submitted the record spending plan to Congress on Aug. 11, a 6-percent or P407-billion increase from this year. The administration has described it as focused on education, health, food and social protection.

But a Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department document shows substantial cuts in several agencies under these sectors. Education faces a P39.2-billion reduction; health, P33.6 billion; social welfare, P28.7 billion; agriculture, P13.5 billion; and labor, P9 billion.

‘It’s hard to characterize the 2027 proposed budget as a people-centered budget when funds for human capital development, livelihood support, agricultural productivity and commuter-centered transport programs suffered deep cuts,’ Suzara said.

P107.4B for flood control

The Department of Public Works and Highways gets P113.1 billion more, and the Department of Transportation gets P160.3 billion more. Debt interest payments rise by P164.3 billion, and the National Tax Allotment rises by P129.3 billion.

The budget also sets aside P107.4 billion for flood control, a major corruption flashpoint.

Suzara said debt servicing, local government shares and government operating costs consume about 84 percent of the budget, leaving only P1.15 trillion in ‘real funding space.’

Blockchain budgeting

Amid the concerns, Sen. Bam Aquino renewed his call for the passage of the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (Cadena) Act, or Senate Bill No. 1506, the bill on blockchaining the budget.

The Senate approved the measure in December 2025, but it remains pending in the House.

The bill would require agencies to upload contracts, project costs, bills of materials and procurement records to a public Digital Budget Platform, making records accessible, tamper-resistant, traceable and verifiable. Officials who fail to disclose required documents or submit fraudulent information could face penalties.

Aquino said Cadena had fallen to 41st from third among the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council’s (Ledac) priorities. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said he would raise the issue with Ledac leadership.

‘The best way to address corruption is to have full transparency,’ Aquino said, arguing that putting budget records on blockchain could help prevent misuse of public funds.

He said the measure was especially urgent amid renewed scrutiny of flood control spending and alleged misuse of public funds.

Several ferry trips were cancelled on Tuesday afternoon, September 1, because of rough sea conditions brought by the effects of the southwest monsoon or ‘habagat,’ the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) announced.

In an advisory issued at 12 p.m., the PPA listed the following Port Management Office (PMO) with cancelled trips on Tuesday afternoon:

Masbate PMO

All fast craft of Montenegro Shipping Lines, Inc.: Masbate City – Pilar, Sorsogon, V.V.

Mindoro PMO

Port of Puerto Galera: MV Island Biri (3:00 p.m.) Puerto Galera to Batangas

Western Leyte-Biliran PMO

Port of Maasin: Ocean Fast Ferries, Inc.: Maasin to Surigao route, and vice versa

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration issued a gale warning over the northern and western seaboards of Northern Luzon on Tuesday due to sustained strong winds and rough seas brought by the enhanced southwest monsoon.

Heavy traffic has been observed on sections of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEx), while the Libtong Exit in Meycauayan, Bulacan was temporarily closed on Monday.

This is due to flooding caused by the southwest monsoon or ‘habagat.’

In its 9 a.m. traffic advisory, the NLEx Corporation said traffic remains heavy along the NLEx-Candaba Viaduct, Tulaoc (San Simon, Pampanga), and the southbound lane of the San Simon Interchange due to continuous heavy rainfall or flooding on local roads.

‘Motorists approaching San Simon Northbound and San Simon Southbound may take the San Simon Exit and re-enter NLEx via the San Simon Entry as an alternative route to avoid the flooded section,’ the corporation said in the advisory.

‘The San Fernando Southbound Entry is temporarily closed due to heavy traffic in San Simon caused by water buildup,’ it added.

NLEx Corp. also noted that southbound motorists who want to return to the northbound lane may use U-turn slots before the Tulaoc Overpass and before the San Simon Interchange.

Patrol officers are on-site to assist motorists and manage the traffic situation in the areas, said the NLEx Corp.

Meanwhile, light traffic was continuously seen on the following NLEx roads:

Balintawak (northbound and southbound)

Valenzuela (northbound and southbound)

Meycauyan (northbound and southbound)

Bocaue (southbound)

San Simon Interchange (northbound)

Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Concepcion entry and exit ramp

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) earlier reported that 18 provinces in Luzon are forecast to experience heavy rainfall this Monday due to the habagat enhanced by Tropical Depression Pilandok.

The weather bureau said Pilandok had slightly intensified while moving almost stationary over the Philippine Sea east of Extreme Northern Luzon.

The tropical depression is currently carrying a maximum sustained wind speed of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center (up from 45 kph from the Sunday evening bulletin), and gustiness of up to 70 kph (up from 55 kph). Pagasa said Pilandok is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning.

The number of families affected by heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon or habagat in Calabarzon since the first week of August has risen to 305,959, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) reported on Sunday (Aug. 30).

The affected families are from 965 barangays across the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon.

The agency said the number of families who evacuated from their homes began increasing again on Aug. 29 due to heavy rains, particularly in Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal.

Based on the latest reports from local governments, 7,074 families were still staying in 161 evacuation centers across the region as of noon Sunday.

Rizal had the highest number of operating evacuation centers with 72, followed by Cavite with 58, Laguna with 24 and Batangas with seven.

As of Aug. 30, the DSWD office in Calabarzon had distributed 260,072 family food packs to affected families.

A standard DSWD family food pack contains six kilograms of rice, canned goods such as corned beef, tuna, and sardines, as well as sachets of coffee or chocolate malt drink. It is intended to provide a family of five with food for two days.

The assistance was provided not only to families who evacuated but also to those who remained in their homes but were affected by heavy rains and flooding.

Senators on National Heroes’ Day paid tribute not only to country’s historical heroes but also ordinary citizens who risked their safety to help others amid recent rains, flooding, and other disasters.

Sen. Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan said that while National Heroes’ Day is rooted in the country’s collective struggle for freedom-beginning with the 1896 Revolution-it honors not only historical figures, but also ordinary Filipinos who courageously love and serve the country.

He cited parents, overseas Filipino workers, environment defenders, fisherfolks, farmers, truth-tellers, and those holding people accountable as modern-day heroes.

Pangilinan also paid tribute to those who responded to the recent rains caused by the southwest monsoon or habagat.

Nitong mga nagdaang linggo ng walang tigil na ulan, sumuong sa baha ang mga kapitbahay, rider, social worker at health professional, at volunteer sa disaster at emergency response,’ Pangilinan said in a press release on Monday.

(In recent weeks of incessant rains, neighbors, riders, social workers, health professionals, and disaster and emergency response volunteers waded through floodwaters)

”Yan ang bayaning Pilipino: Hindi nagpapasiil sa hamon ng buhay,’ he added.

(That is the Filipino hero: One who does not let life’s challenges defeat them.)

Sen. Bong Go echoed Pangilinan’s sentiments, highlighting the contributions of frontliners, health workers, rescuers, uniformed personnel and volunteers who continue to respond to emergencies and disasters.

‘Sa mga nararanasan nating kalamidad at masamang panahon, marami sa kanila ang hindi nag-atubiling tumulong at rumesponde para masiguro ang kaligtasan ng ating mga kababayan,’ Go said in a Facebook post.

(Amid the calamities and severe weather we have experienced, many of them did not hesitate to help and respond to ensure the safety of their fellow Filipinos.)

Go said their courage, compassion, and love for the country should inspire other Filipinos.

Meanwhile, Senate President Win Gatchalian called on Filipinos to carry the spirit of heroism into the challenges they face.

‘Pugay sa ating mga bayani at sa tapang nilang manindigan para sa bayan,’ Gatchalian said in a post on Facebook.

(Salute to our heroes and to their courage to stand up for the country.)

‘Dalhin natin ang diwang ito sa bawat hamong kinakaharap natin – manindigan sa tama, ipaglaban ang kapakanan ng bawat isa, at higit sa lahat, unahin ang Pilipinas,’ the Senate president added.

For Sen. Loren Legarda, honoring the country’s modern-day heroes must go beyond gratitude and translate to better living conditions.

‘[K]ung tunay nating pinahahalagahan ang kanilang ambag, dapat nakikita iyon sa kanilang sahod, benepisyo, kaligtasan sa trabaho, kabuhayan, at proteksyon para sa kanilang pamilya,’ Legarda said in a statement.

(If we really want to honor their contributions, it should be reflected in their salary, benefits, job security, livelihood, and protection for their family.)

Moreover, Senate President Pro Tempore Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III also praised Filipinos who had dedicated their lives and service to the country.

For Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel ‘Migz’ Zubiri, Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, the occasion is a chance to honor heroes across generations.

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano also praised the men and women who sacrificed their lives for the country’s independence, encouraging Filipinos to ‘continue what they started.’

National Heroes’ Day is observed every last Monday of August as a national holiday to commemorate the sacrifices and contributions of the country’s heroes.

A year ago, the House of Representatives opened its doors to civil society organizations (CSOs), allowing governance watchdogs to ask questions and attend hearings as part of an effort to make the budget process more transparent.

It now appears the experiment may be short-lived.

As the House began deliberations on the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, CSOs accredited to participate last year are finding themselves effectively shut out. The rules governing their participation remain unclear; their questions go unanswered, and the House budget panel has yet to call for a new round of accreditation.

‘The House appropriations committee has gone cold on us,’ said Tim Salomon of the Caucus of Development Non-Government Organizations Networks. CSOs are being ‘seen-zoned’ when they request dialogue, he told the Inquirer last week.

What a curious way to demonstrate the chamber’s so-called commitment to transparency.

The House had pledged to sustain the reforms it introduced last year, including televising budget hearings. The committee chair, Nueva Ecija Rep. Mikaela Suansing, was still talking as recently as early August about ‘closer coordination’ with CSOs.

Last full-year budget

But as public finance specialist Zy-za Nadine Suzara put it: ‘They are not walking their talk.’

Perhaps the more pertinent question is: Why stop now?

The 2027 spending plan is the last full-year budget of the Marcos administration before the 2028 elections. It will finance programs and projects as the administration seeks to shape its political legacy ahead of the next elections.

In this country, of course, electioneering does not wait for the official campaign period. It starts years ahead of Election Day. So if there were ever a time when public scrutiny of the national budget needed to be intensified, this would be it.

Instead, the House seems to be pulling down the blinds.

Budget watchdogs have already raised alarms over the record-high P58.32 billion proposed for the Local Government Support Fund, or LGSF, which has been described as ‘LGU pork.’ Economist Cielo Magno warned that without clear rules, such discretionary funds could become instruments of political patronage. The LGSF has more than doubled since 2025, when it stood at P23 billion.

And then there are the other forms of pork: discretionary assistance programs, unprogrammed appropriations (UAs) and infrastructure projects vulnerable to political influence. These are precisely the areas where independent eyes are needed.

Hardly foolproof

Let us note at this point that even with watchdogs on hand, the budgetary safeguards in last year’s deliberations were hardly foolproof.

The CSOs had urged President Marcos to veto more than P633 billion in ‘hard, soft and shadow pork’ in the 2026 budget. They identified P243 billion in UAs, P210 billion in soft pork and P180 billion in infrastructure projects as particularly vulnerable to corruption and political patronage.

The President did veto seven UAs totaling P92.5 billion, trimming the UAs to P150.9 billion. These funds, he declared, should not be treated as a ‘backdoor for discretionary spending.’

But the watchdogs were not satisfied-and for good reason.

They pointed out that the President left untouched other backdoors for corruption, including large social assistance and employment programs whose budgets had more than doubled from the Palace’s original proposal.

In other words, the presence of watchdogs did not magically make the budget clean. It only gave them a front-row view of questionable items and the chance to call them out.

If the executive could reject recommendations made by CSOs as participants in the process, how will they make themselves heard when they are not even allowed into the room?

Bicameral conference

The House should therefore explain, clearly and publicly, why a mechanism it introduced with such fanfare last year has effectively disappeared. If the rules have changed, it should say so. If accreditation will be reopened, it should do so.

On top of this critical issue, the public should be watching an equally crucial part of the process: the bicameral conference committee.

Last year, the public was given an unprecedented view of the final negotiations through a livestreamed bicam. Will that happen again? Or will the doors close just when the most consequential decisions are being made?

The answer will say much about whether last year’s transparency reforms were meant to become institutional safeguards or were just for show. The House has no business expecting public confidence while restricting public scrutiny. Not in an ordinary year, and certainly not with a general election approaching.

The national budget belongs to the Filipino people. The lawmakers who authorize it are its stewards rather than its owners. With an election-season spending bonanza looming, this is precisely when the public needs more eyes on the budget, not fewer.

Tropical Depression Pilandok has maintained its strength while moving almost stationary over the Philippine Sea east of Extreme Northern Luzon, the state weather bureau reported on Monday.

Based on the 11 a.m. weather bulletin from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), Pilandok-which was located 1,160 kilometers east of Extreme Northern Luzon-still carries a maximum sustained wind speed of 55 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gustiness of up to 70 kph.

No tropical cyclone wind signal is currently hoisted in any part of the country.

According to Pagasa, Pilandok is forecast to move slowly northwestward or remain almost stationary for the next 36 hours before moving generally north-northwestward for the remaining forecast period.

The tropical depression is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Wednesday afternoon or evening.

‘This tropical cyclone is less likely to make landfall over the country and will remain far from the Philippine landmass,’ Pagasa said, but noted the forecast track may still be subject to change in the succeeding bulletins.

As for its strength, Pilandok is expected to intensify into a tropical storm by Tuesday. It would then weaken into a tropical depression by Wednesday and ‘maintain its strength throughout the remainder of the forecast period.’

The national government sharply ramped up its borrowing in July, raising nearly P300 billion as it turned to the domestic market for the bulk of its financing needs.

Latest data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) showed that gross borrowings surged by 75 percent to P291.38 billion in July from P166.12 billion in the same month last year.

This was driven mainly by domestic borrowings, which jumped by nearly 78 percent to P271.32 billion from P152.54 billion a year earlier.

Treasury bill issuances led the increase, soaring by nearly fourfold, or 383.7 percent, to P133.2 billion from P27.54 billion in July last year.

As it is, yields on short-dated government securities mostly declined during the month, allowing the Treasury to fully award its borrowing program. The government also issued cash management bills, or shorter-term securities, in mid-July.

Meanwhile, Treasury bonds, which are longer-dated securities, rose by 10.5 percent to P138.12 billion from P125 billion a year earlier.

The government likewise increased its borrowings from foreign sources, which climbed by 47.8 percent to P20.05 billion from P13.57 billion in July 2025.

Broken down, project loans accounted for P18.64 billion of the external borrowings, while program loans amounted to P1.41 billion.

From January to July, the national government’s gross borrowings reached P2.11 trillion, up by 20.2 percent from P1.76 trillion in the same period last year.

This amount already accounts for about 77 percent of the government’s gross borrowing program for 2026. Of the January-to-July total, P1.55 trillion was sourced from domestic lenders, up by 15.4 percent from a year earlier. Meanwhile, external borrowings climbed by 35.8 percent to P564.86 billion.

Few words were spoken when wreaths were offered at the shrine of Gat. Marcelo H. Del Pilar here on Sunday, Aug. 30, to mark the hero’s 176th birth anniversary amid stormy weather.

The annual commemorative program was cancelled because of the strong monsoon rains on Saturday (August 29) that flooded many streets in this town and other partst of Bulacan province.

Flowers were laid down at the shrine at Sitio Cupang in barangay San Nicolas on behalf of the intended guest of honor Commission on Elections chairman George Erwin Garcia, Bulakan Mayor Vergel Meneses, the National Press Club of the Philippines, the Central Luzon Media Association (CLMA) and the Philippine Masonry.

Marcelo Day is an annual non-working holiday in Bulacan. In 2023, Marcelo Day was also declared as National Press Freedom Day.

Del Pilar, who is historically known for his numerous pseudonyms like the textbook familiar Plaridel. But to Bulacan he is simply remembered as ‘Tata Celo, ‘ the Father of Philippine Journalism.

He was born in San Nicolas on Aug. 30, 1850. He died on July 4, 1896 in Barcelona, Spain while pursuing Filipino enlightenment through the publication of La Solidaridad.