Secretary Manuel Bonoan said he is not leaving the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) amid calls for his removal following allegations of corruption in flood control projects.

Bonoan said he will let President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. decide whether he should stay or go. Malacañang earlier expressed continued support for Bonoan.

Bonoan assured the public the department will “throw the book” at those responsible for failed and ghost flood control projects.

“We’ll have to institute measures, actually, na dapat hindi mangyari ito (so this should not happen). And I think we will look into who is involved in these inferior and ghost projects, and I think we’ll have to file the necessary cases, sanction them, and let it be a lesson to everybody that we will not allow this kind of thing to happen,” he said in a radio interview on Saturday.

He added that all of those proven to be involved will be “met with corresponding sanctions and penalties and even criminal liabilities.”

Bonoan also hinted at a “cleanse” within the DPWH when asked if the widespread corruption would lead to the removal of employees, leaving only a few or no staff behind.

“Well, it will be that way, actually. I think we have to clean up the organization if needed,” he said.

He added the department is still investigating and pinpointing employees involved in corrupt practices.

“When the reports come in, actually, we’re consolidating them and everyone, if we have any other people seeing things like this, we’re also throwing the book at them,” he said.

Bonoan backs professional staff

Even as Bonoan prepares to purge the department of corruption, he assured honest employees of his full support, especially if they faced pressure to turn a blind eye to what went on around them.

“If you are pressured and, at some point, you have to sacrifice your profession and your integrity, tell me and I will take care of it, that’s what I told them,” he said.

Bonoan said the “pressure” was coming from “the powers that be.”

“I have to make a point to them (honest employees) that I am actually behind them in all the undertakings of the department — to do a good job professionally and transparently so that we can avoid these kinds of problems,” he said.

New measure, improved bidding

Looking ahead, Bonoan said the DPWH will implement new measures to prevent government projects from falling into the hands of unscrupulous contractors.

“I think we have to be a little more innovative in our bidding process. That institutes some changes, I guess in the bidding processes,” he said.

Bonoan explained that under the current system, the DPWH does not track the contractors or their credentials.

“As long as they have a pick-up license to bid, and they have the financial capacity, then they can bid. Those are the ones we look for. I don’t distinguish who owns them,” he said. “I think that we just have to look into the bidding process, not just the documentation,” he added.