The Office of the Ombudsman is taking steps to secure the sworn affidavit of former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, which supposedly details the figures behind the controversial “leadership fund” system within Congress, according to Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano.
During an August 12 testimony before the Sandiganbayan, Bonoan claimed that Senators Christopher “Bong” Go and Robin Padilla submitted lists of infrastructure projects under the Senate’s “leadership fund” setup.
Bonoan, who is currently facing malversation charges alongside former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. over a ₱92.8-million “ghost” flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan, made the allegations while on the witness stand.
The former Public Works chief said that lawmakers sent their project requests to former DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo in 2025.
He asserted that the funding setup was introduced by the Senate in 2024 to accommodate legislators’ priority infrastructure programs, allocating roughly ₱24 billion across 2024 and 2025.
He further alleged that then-Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri set the individual shares, granting senators at least ₱500 million each under the mechanism.
Go, Padilla, and Zubiri have all denied the allegations.
Clavano noted that the Ombudsman is urging Bonoan to come forward with a voluntary and complete account of his knowledge regarding the allocation scheme.
The anti-graft agency observed that Bonoan’s previous statements appeared to bypass specific issues and figures involved in the ongoing probe into alleged multi-billion peso flood control irregularities.
However, Clavano stated they expect full transparency from the former official.
“Yes, we are interested in the list and we have taken steps to obtain that affidavit so that we can study the allegations therein further,” Clavano said.
“No holds barred talaga. Ayaw namin na may kinikilingan, ayaw namin may pinapanigan, ang gusto natin mag-tell all,” he said.