It was an emotional sight in the Senate when former Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo implicated ex-DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan in the anomalous flood control scandal.
Reading his supplemental affidavit before the Senate panel on blue ribbon on Friday, Bernardo could not help but tear up.
The former DPWH Undersecretary said Bonoan is a long-time DPWH official whom he looks up to and considers a friend and mentor.
According to Bernardo, every year, including years 2023 to 2025, DPWH Usec. Cathy Cabral apportions the budget ceiling for the DPWH allocable National Expenditure Program (NEP).
And while she would make it appear that 100 percent allocable NEP had been apportioned, Cabral would reserve a substantial percentage of that allocable NEP for her and Bonoan’s preferred projects.
‘Sec. Manny Bonoan would, from time to time, ask me to take charge of part of his own reserved allocations,’ said Bernardo.
Bernardo stated that the value of the projects he handled for Bonoan was at least P5 billion per annum for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025, with an average commitment of 15 percent.
‘Of this 15 percent average commitment, Sec. Bonoan (75 percent) usually would give me 25 percent of the commitment, with the rest of the commitment shared between him and Usec. Cabral,’ said Bernardo.
Apart from these practices, Bernardo recalled how Bonoan, in separate instances, ordered him to submit a list of projects for possible inclusion in the NEP.
The project’s budget ranged in the millions, with recorded instances from 2022 to 2024.
As for Cabral, Bernardo said, as a general rule and with very few exceptions, it was Cabral – with the imprimatur of then DPWH Sec. Mark Villar, and later continued by Bonoan – who had control, at the DPWH level, to remove, include, add, deduct or modify insertions of items in the NEP for infrastructure or those pertaining to DPWH.
‘Usec. Cabral would tell me that she would communicate and meet legislators to inform them of the amount of their allocations and ask them for titles of projects that they want to include in the DPWH budget,’ said Bernardo.
He then emphasized that Cabral has total influence and authority in preparing and finalizing the NEP for infrastructure.
‘On multiple occasions, I personally delivered and also caused to be delivered cash to Usec. Cabral at her house at Tatalon, Quezon City and other places,’ said Bernardo.