Former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan told the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had requested his resignation in light of the multibillion flood control scandal.

Asked about the circumstances surrounding his decision to step down from his post, Bonoan told court justices that a message coming from Marcos was relayed to him to submit a courtesy resignation.

The former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) executive stepped down from his position on 1 September 2025, over a month after the President’s infamous “mahiya naman kayo” speech.

Bonoan expressed through his resignation letter that he was in full support of the administration’s push for accountability when it came to the use of confidential funds, noting how he felt heartbroken that corruption took place under his watch.

He further stated that he believed that “leaving or avoiding responsibility is not the right way to find a solution” and that he never tolerated corruption in any form.

“I will accept accountability. But remember, I will not tolerate or allow any kind of corruption,” the official wrote.

A day after the resignation of his cabinet secretary, Marcos labeled the move as Bonoan taking “command responsibility” for the issues that plagued his department.

Since his resignation, the former DPWH secretary has been linked to cases related to the flood control scandal either as a witness and one of the accused.

The Office of the Ombudsman previously mentioned that it was interested in utilizing Bonoan as a state witness in the scheme as he had “insider” knowledge on how the transactions took place.

A particular use of the former official’s testimony was said to be related to the case against former Speaker Martin Romualdez whom the investigative body has deemed as one of the “masterminds” of the issue.

Prior to such pronouncements, however, Bonoan figured as a conspirator in the case of graft and plunder against Senator Jinggoy Estrada concerning an alleged P573 million infrastructure kickback.

Given that Estrada had already entered a plea for the charges, the Ombudsman has encountered difficulties in excluding Bonoan from the cases.

Despite the hurdles, state prosecutors have used Bonoan’s testimonies in the ongoing malversation and graft trials against former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla.