The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) on Thursday recommended to the Office of the Ombudsman the filing of administrative charges against former officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) due to irregularities in a P95-million flood control project in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Based on the interim report submitted to the Ombudsman on Thursday, ICI chair Andres Reyes said administrative complaints, such as grave misconduct and gross dishonesty, are recommended against DPWH officials, including:
Former Secretary Manuel Bonoan
Former Usec. Roberto Bernardo
Former Usec. Maria Cabral
The commission has also recommended that the Ombudsman evaluate whether the following individuals may have violated the anti-graft, malversation and other pertinent laws:
Former DPWH Bulacan First District Engineer Henry Alcantara
Former DPWH Bulacan First District Assistant Engineer Brice Hernandez
Engr. Jaime R. Hernandez
Engr. Ernesto C. Galang
Engr. John Carlo C. Rivera
Engr. John Michael E. Marcos
Engr. Claudine Magdalene Magsakay
Engr. Ericka Justine P. Chico
The ‘ghost’ project
According to Reyes, the flood control project involves a slope protection structure and waterways in Brgy. Bambang, Bocaue, Bulacan, with Contract ID No. 24CC0149.
The exact contract price for the project was P95,040,828.16.
Meanwhile, Reyes said that based on the Commission on Audit (COA) report, ‘no work or structure at the location specified in the contract was in accordance with the approved bid plans of the Project.’
Under Bonoan’s watch
Bonoan, being the chief of the DPWH during the time when the project was contracted, was included in the ICI’s grave misconduct and gross dishonesty case recommendation to the Ombudsman.
‘Clearly, public trust was reposed on Secretary Bonoan to exercise control of DPWH as its Secretary,’ Reyes said.
The ICI chair emphasized that the ghost project was made possible because ‘Secretary Bonoan betrayed such trust reposed in him.’
‘He miserably failed to exercise simple diligence tantamount to fraud in ensuring the judicious use of public funds entrusted to DPWH. As clearly shown by DPWH documents cited herein, the plunder of public funds happened right under his nose,’ Reyes said.
‘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,’ he added.
This is the second time that Bonoan was named as among the respondents in the ICI’s four referrals so far that were submitted to the Ombudsman.
He was also recommended to be among the respondents in administrative charges on ICI’s third referral on November 4 over potential irregularities in a P72-million flood control project in Plaridel, Bulacan.
‘More referrals to come’
Reyes said the ICI will submit more referrals to the Ombudsman in the coming weeks as they are processing a hundred of cases amid their investigation on the flood control mess.
‘There’s more to come. As I said the other day, more to come,’ he said.
According to Reyes, as the commission completes to investigation on a flood control case, they immediately file it with the Ombudsman.
‘We don’t compile the cases. When we’re done, we’ll file it. We don’t want to compile it, because, you know, compiling it is bad. People might say there’s something hidden,’ he said.
‘So once we complete it, we file right away. Because other people, they compile it for one month, then they file. It’s hard to say we’re delayed. So once we are complete in our findings, and we have the typist to do it, we file right away,’ he said.