Former Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan named Senators Christopher “Bong” Go and Robin Padilla among several legislators who submitted project lists under the Senate’s “leadership fund” scheme during his testimony on Wednesday.
Bonoan’s statements came as the prosecution wrapped up its witness presentation in the malversation trial of former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and several former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) officials, who face charges over a ₱392.8-million ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.
The former cabinet official revealed that Go and Padilla submitted their proposed infrastructure projects to former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo in 2025. He noted that Revilla and Senator Jinggoy Estrada submitted similar submissions.
Established in 2024 to fund priority infrastructure identified by lawmakers, the “leadership fund” totaled roughly ₱24 billion across 2024 and 2025. According to Bonoan, former Senate President and current Majority Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri held the authority to determine individual allocations.
General senators typically received a minimum of ₱500 million, while key committee chairs were allotted around ₱1 billion.
Bonoan clarified that utilizing the discretionary mechanism was not inherently illegal, provided legislators did not receive kickbacks.
He confirmed that all sitting senators drew from the fund in 2024, adding that both Revilla and Senator Imee Marcos had previously acknowledged his assistance in securing their project funding.