Jamaine Punzalan

Former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan arrives in a wheelchair at the Sandiganbayan in Quezon City on June 2, 2026, for his arraignment on graft charges involving allegedly anomalous flood control projects before the court’s Second Division. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

FLOOD CONTROL- Estrada/ Bonoan

Kaxandra Salonga

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/178668335296320260602-manuel-bonoan-arraignment-graft-case-JC3 (1).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan arrives in a wheelchair at the Sandiganbayan in Quezon City on June 2, 2026, for his arraignment on graft charges involving allegedly anomalous flood control projects before the court’s Second Division. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Former public works Secretary Manuel Bonoan said the Senate “leadership fund” was created after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. raised serious concern over massive cuts in the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in 2023 and the insertion of thousands of projects being pushed by lawmakers.</p><p>In his judicial affidavit, Bonoan said that despite an increase of P175.81 billion in the DPWH budget, there were significant changes to the programs and projects originally proposed by the department, including 8,075 new projects that were inserted into the 2023 GAA.</p><p>He said he reported the changes to the President after comparing the DPWH’s proposed budget with the enacted General Appropriations Act.</p><p>“The President was alarmed in the reduction of budgets for major items and the inclusion of new items at the detriment of the original programs proposed for the department,” Bonoan said in his affidavit.</p><p>Marcos, according to Bonoan, told him that “this cannot go on” because the changes could derail the administration’s socioeconomic agenda and infrastructure program.</p><p>In a Cabinet meeting, Bonoan said they were told that such reductions were not unique to the 2023 budget and had been prevalent in previous years especially during the pandemic from 2019 to 2022.</p><p>“For FY 2022, the proposed budget of PhP52.770 billion for FAPs in the NEP was significantly reduced to PhP7.449 billion or an 85.59% reduction in the GAA,” Bonoan stated.</p><p>The DPWH, he said, sought a way to minimize the impact of such changes on the department’s core programs which led to creation of what Bonoan called the “Senate Leadership Fund,” an ad hoc allocation intended to accommodate senators’ priority infrastructure projects in the department’s proposed budget.</p><p>Bonoan said the fund was <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/12/bonoan-set-to-testify-in-revilla-trial-0850">allocated P24 billion</a> for the proposed 2024 budget.</p><p>“This initiative was in principle acknowledged by members of the Cabinet Economic Team that started in the preparation of the proposed FY 2024 DWH Budget with internal allocated limit of PhP24 billion,” read Bonoan’s affidavit.</p><p>Bonoan however said the measure failed to prevent budget reductions.</p><p>“It did not work… There were in fact more cuts made in the proposed budgets of the DPWH in FY 2024 and FY 2025,” Bonoan said in his affidavit.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/12/senators-fire-back-at-bonoan-s-leadership-funds-allocation-claim-2129">Senators fire back at Bonoan’s ‘leadership funds’ allocation claim</a></div><p>Earlier at the Sandiganbayan Third Division, Bonoan testified that senators were allocated at least<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/12/bonoan-set-to-testify-in-revilla-trial-0850"> P500 million</a> each under the leadership fund, while chairpersons of major Senate committees could receive as much as P1 billion.</p><p>He said then Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri had discretion over the allocations, subject to a minimum threshold of P500 million per senator.</p><p>Zubiri denied handling any project list adding all requests were coursed through the Senate Finance committee. </p><p>Bonoan also said all incumbent senators in 2024 availed themselves of the leadership fund for fiscal year 2025, although he said there was “nothing wrong” with senators availing themselves of funds for their priority projects.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/13/lacson-says-leadership-fund-a-worse-version-of-pork-barrel-1024">Lacson says &#x27;leadership fund&#x27; a &#x27;worse version of pork barrel&#x27;</a></div><p>The testimony was made during the trial of former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. over an alleged ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.</p><div><strong>HOUSE ALLOCATIONS</strong></div><p>Bonoan said a similar system existed for members of the House of Representatives, although the allocations were based on legislative districts rather than the Senate leadership fund.</p><p>According to his affidavit, each regular congressional district had a baseline infrastructure allocation of P500 million, computed through a parametric formula.</p><p>Meanwhile, party-list lawmakers were allocated P120 million each in fiscal years 2023 and 2024, and the amount increased to P150 million in 2025, for their priority projects.</p><p>“As a matter of policy guidelines under the infrastructure program of the DPWH, seventy percent (70%) of the allocated amount for the legislative district should be earmarked for the DPWH core program responsibility,” he said.</p><p>These included national roads management and flood control projects along major river basins and other principal rivers, consistent with the regional development plan of the respective Regional Development Council.</p><p>Bonoan is set to return as a witness in the trial for Revilla’s graft case.</p><div><a href="http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/news/nation/2026/8/13/-no-cover-up-palace-says-marcos-unaware-of-bonoan-s-leadership-fund-in-dpwh-1548">‘No cover-up’: Palace says Marcos unaware of Bonoan’s &#x27;leadership fund&#x27; in DPWH</a></div><p>Meanwhile, Malacanang said Thursday Marcos was unaware of the leadership fund and would not have tolerated the practice if he knew about it. </p><p>“Kung alam ng pangulo hindi mangyayari &#x27;yan. Parang teacher, pag kayo ay nangopya, ipapaalam niyo ba sa teacher ninyo? Pag nahuli kayo ng teacher, hindi ba bibigyan kayo ng penalty?” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro told Palace reporters.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/8/13/lacson-no-leadership-fund-in-2026-budget-1356">Lacson: No &#x27;leadership fund&#x27; in 2026 budget </a></div><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/xP7jqN9hP30?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Former public works Secretary Manuel Bonoan said the Senate “leadership fund” was created after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. raised serious concern over massive cuts in the budget of the DPWH in 2023 and the insertion of thousands of projects being pushed b</p>

Former public works Secretary Manuel Bonoan said the Senate “leadership fund” was created after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. raised serious concern over massive cuts in the budget of the DPWH in 2023 and the insertion of thousands of projects being pushed b

Bonoan: Senate ‘leadership fund’ created to address Marcos concern over DPWH budget cuts, insertions

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Bonoan: Senate ‘leadership fund’ created to address Marcos concern over DPWH budget cuts, insertions

Kaxandra Salonga,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 14, 2026 12:59 PM PHT

Read More:

Bonoan

judicial affidavit

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