Bonoan clings on, as Torre bows out

Embattled Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan dug in to defend his job amid corruption scandals on Friday, even as General Nicolas Torre III quietly bowed out as Philippine National Police (PNP) chief.

Torre accepted his removal without rancor, even as he called attention to millions of Filipinos bearing the brunt of perennial flooding, amid billions of pesos allegedly siphoned off by corrupt lawmakers, DPWH officials, and private contractors.

“Thank you to those who pitied me. But I ask you, do not pity me. Despite my abrupt removal as PNP chief, I am okay,” Torre said in Filipino.

“If there is anyone we should pity, it is the millions of our countrymen who continue to suffer from constant flooding. They are the ones who truly need help and care,” Torre said in his farewell remarks.

He added that he harbored no ill will against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., saying: “The President must make hard decisions, and my removal was one of them.”

Torre was sacked on 25 August over his illegal reshuffling of top PNP officials under him and his refusal to follow a National Police Commission (Napolcom) order to cease the transfers.

In a video message, wearing a white shirt and not his uniform, Torre said he would remain a policeman who would follow orders.

Travel suspension

In contrast, Bonoan yesterday styled himself as the man who would clean up the mess in his own backyard, the DPWH, described by Senator Panfilo Lacson as a “mafia playground.”

Bonoan issued a memorandum suspending all applications for authority to travel abroad for personal reasons of DPWH officials and employees until November 2025, citing the need to ensure accountability while probes into anomalous projects were ongoing.

The only exemption is personal travel for urgent medical reasons, he said. The DPWH chief has refused to resign amid mounting allegations of corruption in flood control projects undertaken by his department.

On Thursday, a former Cabinet official said Bonoan would have been immediately axed under the previous Duterte administration, instead of being “given the gloved hands treatment by President Marcos.”

“The question is, who is behind Secretary Bonoan that he is able to extricate himself from this plunder of taxpayer money and the loss of lives and properties from floods?” the ex-official asked.

At the start of the congressional hearings, Bonoan admitted knowing of the “ghost projects” even before the President exposed them in his State of the Nation address.

“I was not tainted by corruption. The projects were delegated to regional offices. I continue to exercise supervision but not in the day-to-day implementation,” Bonoan earlier told reporters.

“This is in light of the ongoing validation of DPWH projects and in line with our commitment to transparency, accountability, and public service integrity,” Bonoan said in explaining the travel suspension.

He also announced the creation of an Anti-Corruption Task Force within the department to encourage the public to report questionable projects.

Under fire

Bonoan said he still has the President’s trust and was ordered to fast-track the investigations into the anomalies.

He said he is open to making public his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) in support of the lifestyle checks ordered by the President.

The DPWH has been under fire after Senator Lacson detailed the anomalous infrastructure projects nationwide and described the agency as a “playground of syndicates.”

Lacson cited reports of district engineers “borrowing” contractors’ licenses to implement projects themselves—a practice that violates procurement laws.

He pointed to district offices in Bulacan and San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, which he said mirrored syndicate-style operations.

“There are so many irregularities involving the district engineering offices,” Lacson said, adding the corruption had seeped into the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board.

In a privilege speech, Lacson flagged ghost and substandard flood control projects in Pampanga, La Union, and Oriental Mindoro. He singled out Darcy and Anna Builders, a contractor that allegedly secured multiple Bulacan projects under suspicious circumstances.

The senator also criticized the “funders”—lawmakers who inserted projects into the General Appropriations Act—for siphoning off resources from vital agencies like PhilHealth.

“Because of their greed, the funders seek money for the projects at the expense of PhilHealth and other agencies,” he said, noting that the 2025 DPWH budget surpassed the allocation for education in violation of the Constitution.

Not stepping down

Despite these allegations, Malacañang said the President continues to trust Bonoan.

“Right now, the President has not mentioned anything, so if there will be any action regarding Secretary Bonoan, we will just have to wait. But for the moment, his trust is still there,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro had said.

Bonoan himself said he would not step down. “I will not resign. I will cleanse this department of corruption. My fate rests with the President,” he said.