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Daphne Galvez - The Philippine Star
August 13, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — Senators were allocated at least P500 million each for their pet projects billed as “leadership fund” under the 2025 budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways, former DPWH chief Manuel Bonoan said yesterday.
Bonoan testified that chairpersons of key Senate committees, including former senator Ramon Revilla Jr. who had chaired the panel on public works, could receive up to P1 billion.
Bonoan gave testimony before the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division, which is trying the malversation case against Revilla over an alleged flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan worth P92.8 million.
In his judicial affidavit, Bonoan said P24 billion was allocated for senators under the “leadership fund” which, he explained, was created solely for members of the upper chamber of Congress. He, however, explained that the amount each senator received was subject to the discretion of then Senate president Miguel Zubiri.
“In our discussions with Senate president Zubiri, we laid down the parameters and objectives of the fund. He would have discretion but each senator will get a minimum allocation of P500 million. Chairmen of committees can be allocated about P1 billion,” he told the court.
Zubiri denied managing project lists for the alleged “leadership fund,” shifting responsibility for budget requests to the Senate committee on finance, then chaired by current Education Secretary Sonny Angara.
Bonoan alleged that Revilla received P1 billion because he was then chairman of the Senate committee on public works.
The former DPWH chief explained that the allocations applied for senators in 2024 in preparation for the 2025 national budget.Zubiri served as the Senate president from July 2022 until May 2024.
Bonoan explained that the so-called leadership fund is an ad hoc allocation in the DPWH budget intended to accommodate senators’ pet infrastructure projects.
He explained that the fund was created in 2024 due to the “numerous cuts” from the DPWH budget in the previous national expenditure, resulting in core projects being “reduced drastically.”
He said that the P1 billion allocated to Revilla was on top of his P7.4-billion congressional insertions.
While he claimed that all senators in 2024 availed themselves of leadership funds for the 2025 fiscal year, Bonoan added that there was nothing wrong with the practice.
Bonoan said he received a list of infrastructure projects that requested funding from Revilla through former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo.
DOJ under Remulla got P1.5 billion in CIF – Erice
The Department of Justice received P1.5 billion in confidential and intelligence funds in fiscal year 2025 when Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla was the DOJ secretary, Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice said.
“For the first time in DOJ history, it had a total of P1.5 billion in CIF,” Erice said, adding that the DOJ initially got P350 million, but Remulla “requested” from then congressman Zaldy Co for P1 billion and P150 million more.
The DOJ has jurisdiction over the National Bureau of Investigation.
Ang’s arraignment
Meanwhile, the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division has reset the arraignment of USWAG Ilonggo party-list Rep. Jojo Ang on his graft case over alleged conflict of interest.
The arraignment of Ang, who appeared before the court yesterday, was rescheduled to Sept. 24 due to his pending motions to quash information and consolidation as he faces graft charges in other divisions of the anti-graft court.
Earlier, the Sandiganbayan’s Second Division reset Ang’s arraignment on separate graft charges as his motions have also yet to be resolved.
The ombudsman filed 14 counts of graft against Ang over his supposed beneficial ownership of a construction firm that secured government contracts.
Ang is reportedly a nephew of the owners of International Builders Corp., the biggest contractor in the Western Visayas Region. The firm was allegedly behind substandard flyover projects in Iloilo worth more than P1.7 billion.
Turned down
The Supreme Court (SC) turned down a request obliging the Senate Blue Ribbon committee to release the draft of its partial committee report on the flood control scandal, finding no basis to grant the petition.
The high tribunal dismissed the petition filed by lawyers Elridge Marvin Aceron, Sikini Labastilla and Purificacion Bartolome-Bernabe in March this year. – Ghio Ong, Delon Porcalla, Neil Jayson Servallos
