Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan has been named as a respondent in a plunder complaint filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the Department of Justice (DOJ) confirmed on Monday.
DOJ spokesperson Atty. Polo Martinez announced that Bonoan is a co-respondent in a case involving Senator Jinggoy Estrada. The charges stem from alleged widespread irregularities and the acquisition of ill-gotten wealth exceeding P50 million linked to various flood control projects.
According to Martinez, the complaint is broad in scope and not limited to a specific project or region.
“All of these arise from flood control projects and the transactions included in and related to these projects,” Martinez said, noting that the allegations involve a “combination or series of transactions.”
The DOJ has yet to schedule a preliminary investigation, as the case awaits assignment to a panel of prosecutors. No subpoenas have been issued to the respondents at this stage.
The filing comes as Bonoan returned to the Philippines following a stay in the United States. Shortly before the DOJ announcement, the former secretary appeared at the Senate to testify before the Blue Ribbon Committee, which is currently conducting its own inquiry into anomalous infrastructure spending.
Bonoan, who resigned from his post in August 2025, had previously been issued an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) after he traveled abroad amid ongoing investigations into “ghost” and substandard flood management projects.
Further details regarding the specific transactions are expected to be made public once the formal preliminary investigation begins.
