Several House lawmakers have expressed dissent amid growing calls for Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan to take a leave of absence pending an audit investigation into alleged anomalies in the corruption-ridden flood-control projects. 

In the briefing of the DWPH in the House Committee on Public Accounts, Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado insisted that “this is not the right time” for Bonoan to temporarily vacate the post, as doing so won’t alleviate the flood crisis in the country.

The seasoned lawmaker further asserted that flood prevention must be a shared responsibility between the national government and the local government, with barangays actively promoting clean and green efforts to maintain proper waste disposal.

“I really object and reject insinuations at this point in time to make any changes in our department,” said Mercado, who served as DPWH chief during the Duterte administration after then-secretary Mark Villar resigned to run as senator. “This is the time when we have to support our fellow public officials. We have to rally behind this administration…We should not leave this problem alone to them.”

Isabela Rep. Tonypet Albano agreed, claiming that Bonoan must be accorded “due process” by allowing a full-blown probe to take place first, and only then determining whether the outcome merits his leave of absence. 

He argued that it’s still “premature” to urge Bonoan to depart the department without a sufficient basis. 

Committee chair Terry Ridon also stated that the panel will not yet support the call unless the subsequent investigation warrants doing so.

‘Corruption’ in the projects

The solons’ remarks came after Bacolod Rep. Albee Benitez joined mounting calls for Bonoan to take a leave of absence while the investigation into the purported irregularities in the multi-billion flood-control projects is ongoing.

Benitez said Bonoan must show “delicadeza” and let the investigation run its course without him at the helm to ensure that the “process is impartial and credible.”

In response, Bonoan expressed willingness to temporarily depart his post “if the President tells me to do so.”

The audit investigation was in response to President Marcos Jr.’s marching orders during his fourth State of the Nation Address in late July, prompted by the recent widespread severe flooding brought about by three consecutive typhoons and southwest monsoons. 

The recent weather disturbances submerged Metro Manila and nearby provinces in flood waters despite Marcos’ boasting during last year’s SONA that 5,500 flood control projects had been completed and there are more under construction.

This fueled speculations of massive corruption in the flood control projects, with Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson claiming that 67 House members in the previous Congress had full control over the project funding because it was either they or their relatives were alleged contractors of the government’s flood mitigation program.

‘Barking at the wrong tree’

Senior Deputy Minority Leader Edgar Erice dismissed the need for an independent probe into the flood-control projects, saying it’s “not necessary” unless the “main culprit” behind the severe flooding — poor waste management — is addressed. 

Erice did not downplay speculations of kickbacks in the flood-control projects, but he suggested that the government may have been mistaken in pointing to flood mitigation programs as the root cause behind the flood crisis in the National Capital Region.

As of 2024, the NCR has 14 million population, based on the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Of this number, Erice projected that each individual produces .74 kilos of garbage every day, with the total approximately reaching as high as 10,000 tons.

“Due to corruption of local governments, I estimate that only 30 to 40 percent of the garbage is being collected. All the solid waste ends up in the creeks, in canals. All of that because they questioned the dredging projects of the DPWH, [which eventually] stopped,” Erice said in the vernacular. 

Dredging, drainage 

The dredging projects, he stressed, should not have been discontinued as it is responsible for clearing blockages such as waste and debris from natural waterways, which helps improve water flow and reduces flood risks.

Aside from being full of trash, there are 646 families of informal settlers living on top of and beside our natural waterways. That's the problem, not the flood-control programs,” he pointed out.

Instead of DPWH, Erice proposed that the government commission a reputable private sector or non-governmental organization to conduct a third-party evaluation of the flood-control projects. 

Binan Rep. Walfredo Dimaguila echoed Erice’s concern, emphasizing the urgent need for dredging the Laguna Lake, commonly known as Laguna de Bay, where a significant portion of NCR’s solid waste and polluted waters end up.

According to Bonoan, the underlying problems that pose a serious challenge to the effective implementation of flood-control programs are siltation and the riverbeds that are “very shallow.”

“If we do not address the siltation, it will just backflow. And these are the causes of the main flooding in many areas of the country now,” Bonoan said.

Another contributing factor was that “the drainage system is very much old,” with the existing being 70 percent silted, with a carrying capacity of only 30 percent. 

“The issue is we need actually to have a master plan for the drainage system for Metro Manila,” he added.