Any individual implicated in the alleged ghost flood control projects — including former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan — but facing no pending cases is free to leave the country, Justice Department spokesperson Atty. Polo Martinez said Wednesday.
Martinez clarified the department’s position following an inquiry from the Bureau of Immigration (BI) regarding Bonoan’s recent departure for the United States.
“We looked into it and given that there is no pending case, no pending hold departure orders arising from any pending case, we cannot prevent him from leaving,” Martinez said.
Likewise, Martinez stressed that this decision applies not only to Bonoan but to “any individual for that matter,” citing the constitutional right to travel, which is guaranteed to all citizens under the 1987 Constitution’s Bill of Rights.
Bonoan traveled to the U.S. to accompany his wife for a medical procedure, with his travel reportedly permitted until 17 December 2025. Bonoan and five other former DPWH officials were named in an interim report by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) recommending a formal probe by the Office of the Ombudsman over the Plaridel, Bulacan project.
Asked about the implications should Bonoan fail to return on the stated date, Martinez said the matter would then fall under the limitations of his U.S. visa and the jurisdiction of U.S. authorities.
He explained, “As we mentioned earlier, there is no pending case and this applies generally to all individuals with no pending case. We cannot prevent the departure of anyone to any place that he would wish to go to pursuant to his right to travel under Section 6, Article 21 of the Bill of Rights.”