MANILA, Philippines – Calls mounted online on Tuesday, August 19, for the resignation of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan after he admitted before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee that billions of pesos worth of flood control projects paid for by the government turned out to be “ghost projects.”
Bonoan, testifying before senators investigating alleged irregularities in infrastructure contracts, acknowledged that validation of several flood control projects in Bulacan and other provinces revealed that some were either unfinished, left incomplete, or did not exist at all despite full payment to contractors.
“May mga proyekto po na binayaran, pero hindi natuloy o hindi natapos, at may ilan din na lumalabas na ghost projects,” Bonoan admitted, adding that the agency has begun reshuffling personnel in what he described as “highly suspicious” district engineering offices.
The admission triggered outrage online, with the hashtag #ResignBonoan trending on X (formerly Twitter). Netizens blasted the DPWH for “stealing public funds in broad daylight” and questioned how billions of pesos supposedly meant to protect communities from flooding were lost to corruption.
Senators pressed Bonoan on accountability, asking why the DPWH continued releasing payments despite red flags raised in Commission on Audit (COA) reports. Lawmakers also signaled the possibility of filing plunder charges against officials found complicit in the scheme.
Wawao Builders Inc., the contractor that bagged flood control contracts worth P5.9 billion in Bulacan alone, is now under probe for alleged collusion with DPWH officials. Community groups in flood-prone towns said they have long complained that despite the government pouring billions into flood control, projects either underperform or are non-existent.
Bonoan vowed to cooperate fully with the investigation and assured senators that his office is “taking corrective measures” to safeguard the integrity of ongoing projects. Still, advocacy groups said his admission is a “smoking gun” proving systemic corruption inside the DPWH.
As one civic coalition put it: “This is not just about ghost projects. It’s about ghost accountability. The secretary must resign.”