Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson has raised serious questions over how former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan allegedly received handwritten “memos” from civilians or non-organic DPWH personnel, endorsing specific infrastructure projects.

In a radio interview on Tuesday, Lacson said he was “baffled” after seeing documents indicating that Bonoan took instructions written on Post-It notes from individuals outside the department.

“I am baffled by the documents I saw, where Bonoan received handwritten memos that turned out to be from civilians or non-organic DPWH personnel. How did these memos, which were scribbled on Post-It notes, get to Bonoan?” Lacson said in Filipino.

“That’s the hard part. Such communications didn’t go through official channels. Why was the secretary dealing with them directly?”

The revelation comes amid the Senate’s continuing probe into alleged corruption in DPWH flood control and other infrastructure projects, which Lacson said have resulted in substandard or “ghost” projects.

Budget manipulation

Lacson earlier questioned the existence of a so-called “leadership fund” in the DPWH, which Bonoan claimed consolidated lawmakers’ project proposals in the National Expenditure Program (NEP). According to Lacson, such a setup allowed lawmakers to influence the budget even before it was authorized.

The senator reminded Bonoan that the national budget must pass through four distinct stages including the preparation, authorization, execution, and accountability and that premature interventions by legislators or outside parties violated this process.

He also noted instances where DPWH allegedly substituted project requests, such as changing a P1.5-billion proposal for multipurpose buildings into P600 million worth of flood control projects.

He lamented that “kickbacks now have priority over public needs.”

“From the testimonies of DPWH personnel, it appears public funds have become nothing more than a toy for corrupt DPWH officials,” Lacson said.

He added. “The projects included in the NEP should stem from the local development plans of regional development councils. But when lawmakers make insertions, the projects become contractor-driven because they look at which favored contractors can deliver kickbacks. Because of this, we have substandard and ghost flood control projects.”

Expanded BRC probe

Lacson said the ongoing Senate Blue Ribbon Committee probe could soon expand beyond flood control projects to include other anomalous undertakings such as farm-to-market roads, citing a “culture of impunity” within the department.

“Over time, the DPWH allowed such abuses because they went undetected or unpunished. In the course of time, this became a lucrative practice,” he said.

He added that if re-elected as Blue Ribbon chair, the next hearing is tentatively set for November 14, where a “very important witness” is expected to testify and potentially link additional names, possibly both government officials and private individuals, to the corruption scheme.

Meanwhile, Lacson also announced plans to subpoena retired T/Sgt. Orly Guteza, a former Marine who earlier claimed to have delivered suitcases of cash to the residences of former Ako Bicol Rep. Elizaldy Co and former Speaker Martin Romualdez.

He said the subpoena would be coursed through the offices of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta and former Rep. Michael Defensor, who had earlier facilitated Guteza’s appearance at the Senate.

Senate CCTV footage reportedly showed Guteza arriving at the Senate on September 25 at 8:27 a.m., staying briefly in Marcoleta’s office before attending the hearing.

While Romualdez has denied Guteza’s allegations, questions about the credibility of the ex-Marine emerged after the Executive Judge of the Manila Regional Trial Court found discrepancies in the notarized affidavit attributed to lawyer Petchie Espera.

The judge recommended a preliminary investigation for possible falsification.

“While Guteza’s statement before the Blue Ribbon Committee remains valid, this development may affect his credibility,” Lacson admitted.

He also directed the committee to subpoena the contractor allegedly constructing Romualdez’s residence and obtain the project logbook to verify Guteza’s claim of cash deliveries between December 2024 and August 2025.

Lacson said initial checks showed Guteza had a good service record in the Marines, but noted there is still no corroborative evidence linking him to Co as a security aide or proving his cash delivery claims.