Erwin Tulfo: Bonoan must face flood control mess

Senator Erwin Tulfo believes that resigned Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan should answer issues surrounding ghost and substandard flood control projects across the country.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee on Monday, 1 September, granted the request of Bonoan to be excused from the hearing into the anomalous flood control projects following his resignation as head of the DPWH.

However, for Tulfo, Bonoan should still be present during the hearings.

"I think he must be there. He really needs to answer questions. He has to be there to answer the questions because Secretary Vince Dizon can't answer them all," Tulfo said in an ambush interview.

Asked if former DPWH Secretary Senator Mark Villar should be summoned too, Tulfo said it would be up to the independent commission that will conduct a probe on the questionable flood control projects.

"That's why I'm saying it should be an independent body. How can we summon another lawmaker? It will be like witch-hunting, we'll go back to the previous administration. We'll be talking here about flood control from 2022 up to 2025," he added.

Villar served as former President Rodrigo Duterte's Cabinet as head of the DPWH from 2016 to 2021. He resigned in 2021 after filing his certificate of candidacy to run for senator.