Bonoan not quitting; Singson eyed for DPWH?

MANILA, Philippines — Secretary Manuel Bonoan has no intention of resigning from the Department of Public Works and Highways amid the scandal over ghost and substandard flood control projects undertaken by the DPWH in the past years.

“I leave it to the President. My tenure is at the pleasure of the President,” Bonoan told One News yesterday.

Former DPWH secretary Rogelio Singson – who served the full six years during the presidency of Benigno Aquino III – admitted that he has received feelers for a possible return to the department.

In an interview on ANC yesterday morning, however, Singson said he doubts that he will get a formal offer from President Marcos since the latter knows he is not open to returning to government as DPWH chief.

“No, and I think that will be farfetched. Because my wife will leave me already if I go back to government,” Singson said.

“Definitely, may (there were) feelers,” Singson said. “The President and I go a long way, when he was still a governor, and then he became a senator. We’ve known each other in quite a lot of projects (that we were in) together. I’m no stranger to the President.”

Singson said that he has already told the President about his wife’s opposition to him serving another tour of duty at the DPWH.

“I told him the same. My wife will leave me,” he said.

Asked about serving in a third-party advisory role on the implementation of an integrated water resources management program that will address the worsening flood problem in the country, Singson said that such a role would be more acceptable for him.

“Of course. I’ve volunteered pro bono all of these suggestions, I’ve come out openly about these corruption program only because I have the full backing of the Management Association of the Philippines, the private sector executives (group) who says enough is enough,” Singson said.

Malacañang has kept mum on reports that Singson is being eyed to be the next public works secretary.

“Let us just wait for the decision of the President,” Presidential Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a text message yesterday.

There have been calls for President Marcos to fire Bonoan over the substandard and ghost flood control projects that worsened the effects of recent typhoons.

Resign

In Congress, Kamanggagawa party-list Rep. Elijah San Fernando asked yesterday Secretary Bonoan to immediately resign, following his admission of the existence of multibillion-peso ghost flood control projects under his watch.

“Have shame and spare the President from shame and resign now,” San Fernando told Bonoan.

San Fernando cited disclosures during a Senate hearing where Bonoan admitted that Wawao Builders, one of the top contractors in the President’s list, bagged ?9 billion worth of contracts nationwide, including ?5.97 billion for 85 projects in Bulacan alone. He said Bonoan later conceded that many of these are “ghost projects.”

“These contractors are getting billions in projects with almost no capacity on paper. Who is their protector and how did this get past the DPWH?” San Fernando asked.

“Sec. Bonoan leads the agency which is the subject of issues of corruption. We cannot spare him from accountability. This is why we have command responsibility in government. You are the alter ego of the President, spare PBBM from shame. Have shame. Resign now. Do not wait for your removal,” he said.

“The President said he is very angry. Mr. President, we are also angry. We are talking about the money of the workers and ordinary Filipinos. The leader you appointed to the very agency mandated to provide quality infrastructure to the Filipino is now at the center of one of the largest corruption scandals in our history,” the lawmaker said.

“Mr. President, fire Sec. Bonoan! After firing him, the secretary should also be investigated. It is impossible that the secretary knows nothing when billions of funds revolved. It’s a big joke,” San Fernando said.

Independent probe

The Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) called for the creation of an independent fact-finding body that will look deeper into alleged corruption and ghost flood control projects.

“The millions of workers that are suffering from meager wage increase and ENDO — they are also the ones flooded,” TUCP general secretary Arnel Dolendo said.

“It is not enough to point out and make a show for the people. There is a clear demand from Filipino workers: create a Task Force Bantay-Baha Bantay-Kaban that favors no one and fears no one and will expose all the big fish that eats into public coffers. Justice must prevail for every peso from taxes that are paid from the toils and sweat of the Filipino workforce,” Dolendo added.

Dolendo said an independent fact-finding body with expert and sectoral representation, including labor, will immediately and exhaustively investigate all aspects of this flood control controversy.. –  Alexis Romero, Mayen Jaymalin, Jose Rodel Clapano