Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson announced that the upcoming Blue Ribbon Committee hearing may focus on unresolved issues involving former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
Lacson highlighted Bonoan’s acquisition of a house and lot at 30 Tamarind Road in South Forbes, Makati City in 2023, a transaction linked to contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya II.
The senator further noted that Bonoan has yet to clarify several matters, including what appears to be a recurring “pattern” of incorrect grid coordinates in flood control project reports submitted to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
“We can focus the next hearing on Bonoan to tackle other issues he can clarify. He is in the country so he can address the issues involving him,” he said in an interview on DZMM radio.
Lacson noted that during the last hearing, DPWH Undersecretaries Arthur Bisnar and Ricardo Bernabe III showed data indicating a “clear pattern” on the submission of wrong grid coordinates.
According to the chairman of the blue ribbon panel, it could have been considered inadvertent or a result of “negligence” if only a few out of the total number of flood control projects had wrong grid coordinates.
But the documents show that over 86 percent of projects bore wrong grid coordinates: “we can say this is deliberate,” Lacson said.
The former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief said he is not discounting the possibility that the submission of wrong data could be meant not just to discredit the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website listing the locations of flood control projects, but also to undermine the prosecution of cases involving ghost flood control projects.
“For example, a case is filed using data from the Sumbong sa Pangulo website as evidence,” the lawmaker said.
“The defense can question the website’s credibility. That is one possible long-term motive for submitting wrong data,” he further said.
Lacson warned that if Bonoan would be evasive in answering questions, he could be cited in contempt of the committee, and arrested and detained in the Senate. (Hannah Torregoza)
