Jonathan Frederic De Santos

The Philippine Senate’s Blue Ribbon Committee continues its probe into flood control projects on Thursday, September 18, 2025, attended by officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways led by Sec. Vince Dizon, along with representatives of contractors implicated in the alleged ghost and substandard projects nationwide. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

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ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17687308395401768730836840.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Philippine Senate’s Blue Ribbon Committee continues its probe into flood control projects on Thursday, September 18, 2025, attended by officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways led by Sec. Vince Dizon, along with representatives of contractors implicated in the alleged ghost and substandard projects nationwide. <em>Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan&#x27;s return to the Philippines sets the stage for the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee&#x27;s resumption of hearings on corruption in flood control projects.</p><p>Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson, panel chair, has alleged that Bonoan gave President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/14/ex-dpwh-sec-bonoan-gave-wrong-coordinates-of-flood-control-projects-lacson-2126">incorrect map coordinates </a>on infrastructure projects, which led to a &quot;substantially&quot; higher number of &quot;ghost&quot; projects — infrastructure that exists only on paper.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/18/ex-dpwh-chief-bonoan-back-in-ph-immigration-1328">Ex-DPWH chief Bonoan back in PH — Immigration<br/></a></div><p>Bonoan is among a dozen people that the panel has summoned and risks being cited for contempt if he skips the hearing.</p><p>Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon — Bonoan&#x27;s successor — has confirmed that some projects had wrong grid coordinates but <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/17/dizon-confirms-previous-dpwh-leadership-submitted-wrong-flood-control-project-coordinates-2101">said he did not want to speculate if that was intentional</a>.</p><p>Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, whose office is also investigating flood control corruption, said the wrong coordinates came from &quot;<a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/15/remulla-confirms-bonoan-gave-wrong-coordinates-in-flood-control-projects-1947">Secretary Bonoan or the people within the 1st Engineering District of Bulacan</a>.&quot;</p><div><strong>&#x27;CABRAL FILES&#x27;</strong></div><p>Aside from Bonoan&#x27;s potential testimony, the Blue Ribbon Committee will also look into validating information in the supposed &quot;Cabral Files&quot; that former Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral left behind. </p><p>The files, which Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Leviste says he has copies of, supposedly identify officials — allegedly including Cabinet members and lawmakers — who supposedly pushed for the inclusion of certain projects in the National Expenditure Program.</p><p>Congress uses the NEP as a basis for the national budget bill, where lawmakers can propose amendments. The &#x27;Cabral Files&#x27; suggest some lobbied for projects even while the NEP was being prepared.</p><p>Cabral died in December and can no longer verify the documents, but Lacson said this week he will ask the Department of Public Works and Highways to check them.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/5/cabral-files-6-boxes-of-dpwh-documents-may-be-missing-1312">Cabral files: 6 boxes of DPWH documents may be missing<br/></a></div><p>&quot;I will apply fairness — any document the DPWH does not authenticate, including those in my possession, will not be made part of the Blue Ribbon Committee&#x27;s records,&quot; he told radio DZMM on Saturday.</p><p>The Palace has played down the files, stressing they have not been validated and do not have value as evidence, a position that Lacson disagrees with.</p><p>He said they can be leads for further investigation.</p><div><strong>ZALDY CO, ORLY GUTEZA ALSO SUMMONED<br/></strong></div><p>The Senate has also summoned former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co and his supposed security aide Orly Guteza, who told the Senate in September that <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/9/25/suitcases-of-money-delivered-to-romualdez-zaldy-co-houses-staff-1118">he delivered kickbacks to properties owned by Co and by then House Speaker Martin Romualdez.</a></p><p>The whereabouts of Co and of Guteza are unknown, with the former congressman believed to be in Portugal and his former aide <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/30/navy-whistleblower-guteza-is-not-in-marine-custody-1224">briefly rumored to be in Marine custody</a>.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/13/philippines-to-request-zaldy-co-repatriation-from-portugal-dilg-1151">Philippines seeks Interpol aid to repatriate Zaldy Co from Portugal</a></div><p>The Blue Ribbon Committee resumes its hearings as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whom the administration credits with kicking off the investigation into the flood control controversy, signaling that the probe is close to wrapping up.</p><p>&quot;[T]hey really are coming towards the end—Lahat ng kailangang imbestigahan, naimbestigahan na nila (They have investigated all who should be investigated). Maybe there are one or two other loose ends that they have to clear up,&quot; Marcos Jr. said this week of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, which can no longer reach a quorum because of resignations.</p><div><a class="fr-strong fr-green" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/16/marcos-says-ici-work-coming-towards-the-end-1006">Marcos says ICI work &#x27;coming towards the end&#x27;</a></div><p>No new members have been named to the ICI and bills to create a panel with greater powers to investigate corruption in infrastructure projects remain pending in either house of Congress.</p><div><strong>CASES FILED, WITNESSES ADMITTED</strong></div><p>The Office of the Ombudsman on Friday filed <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/16/ombudsman-files-graft-charges-vs-revilla-dpwh-execs-over-bulacan-flood-project-1632">malversation and graft charges at the Sandiganbayan against former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. </a>and six officials of a DPWH Bulacan district office for a P92.8-million flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan that the government paid for despite being left unbuilt.</p><p>The DOJ said this week it is also investigating potential plunder cases against Revilla, Co, and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.</p><p>All three have denied involvement in any corruption.</p><p>Cases have also been filed — and arrest warrants issued — against Co and officers of Sunwest Construction and Development Inc, and against officials of the MIMAROPA office of the DPWH.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/y-M-Dw7pRyI?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>Co, a party-list congressman who used to head the House appropriations panel, has also had his assets frozen and <a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/8/authorities-seize-some-of-zaldy-co-s-luxury-vehicles-2016">at least eight luxury vehicles linked to him seized</a> — in an illegal operation, his lawyer said.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/15/contractor-3-ex-dpwh-officials-now-state-witnesses-in-flood-control-cases-1438">DOJ: Contractor, 3 ex-DPWH officials now state witnesses in flood control cases</a></div><p>In the meantime, the Department of Justice has admitted former public works officials Roberto Bernardo, Henry Alcantara, and Gerard Opulencia as well as contractor Sally Santos of SYMS Construction as <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/15/contractor-3-ex-dpwh-officials-now-state-witnesses-in-flood-control-cases-1438">state witnesses</a> in flood control projects scam cases.</p><p>Former DPWH engineers Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza did not qualify as state witnesses, Prosecutor General Richard Fadullon said, adding however they could be admitted as state witnesses “when the future comes kapag mayroong kaso na maaari silang tumestigo (and there is a case where that can be witnesses in).&quot;</p><p>The admissions into the WPP come amid speculation and rumor that the so-called BGC or &quot;Bulacan Group of Contractors&quot; — Alcantara, Hernandez, Mendoza, and project engineer Arjay Domasig are among its supposed members — plan to recant testimony implicating officials in the mess.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/1/12/malacanang-warns-bgc-boys-vs-recanting-flood-control-scandal-testimonies-1503">&#x27;Wag silang magpabudol&#x27;: Malacañang warns &#x27;BGC Boys&#x27; vs recanting flood control scandal testimonies</a></div><p>Lacson said the panel would also ask about the rumored plans to recant testimony.</p><p>As the blue ribbon committee meets again for the first time, what is clear is that no big fish spent Christmas in jail as the administration had promised.</p><p>With senators — Sen. Imee Marcos of the minority bloc has said her group is not pinning their hopes on the probe — seemingly losing interest, the flood control probe risks being overtaken by fresher controversies like talk of potential impeachment and forgotten until the rains come again.</p>

<p>Former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan's return to the Philippines sets the stage for the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's resumption of hearings on corruption in flood control projects.</p>

Former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan's return to the Philippines sets the stage for the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee's resumption of hearings on corruption in flood control projects.

A quick refresher on the flood-control mess as Senate resumes probe

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A quick refresher on the flood-control mess as Senate resumes probe

Jonathan de Santos,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 18, 2026 10:30 PM PHT

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Updated January 19, 2026 11:34 AM PHT

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Senate Blue Ribbon Committee

Panfilo Lacson

Flood control projects

Corruption

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