Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson rejected Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan’s claim that the irregularities in flood control projects are merely “isolated cases.”
In a radio interview on August 22, Lacson said Bonoan’s remarks sounded like nothing more than a shield against accountability.
“When you say it is an isolated case, it sounds like a defense mechanism. It suggests you don’t intend to conduct a full-scale and comprehensive investigation. And I expected that so I had my teams check projects in other areas,” Lacson said.
The senator stressed that he already anticipated such a statement from Bonoan, which is why he ordered his team to dig deeper.
“I expected that ‘isolated case’ line and I can say this is not an isolated case. That is why we conducted case studies in Pampanga, Northern Luzon and other areas, just to debunk the claims that Bulacan is an isolated case,” he added.
Lacson further noted that while Bonoan may not have been directly involved in the ground operations, the secretary cannot escape responsibility for the systemic failures under his watch.
The senator also expressed hope that his exposé in the Senate last week would not remain just an “exposé,” but would lead to actual charges against government officials and contractors who allegedly pocketed funds meant for flood control projects.