Manila, Philippines – Former Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan returns to the Philippines after almost three months overseas.
In a report, the Bureau of Immigration confirmed that Bonoan arrived at NAIA on Sunday morning via a flight from Taipei and has no travel companion.
November last year when Bonoan left the hilippines to accompany his wife in a medical procedure in the US, he was supposedly back by December 17 but did not actually return.
Before he left, Bonoan was placed at BI’s Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO), following the Justice department’s order to monitor his travels amid being implicated in the flood control mess.
On Friday, however, Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez confirmed that Bonoan is still in the US and has no intentions to hide.
He also said that the former secretary requested for another month to stay abroad, and promised to return by February 15.
BONOAN FACES SENATE BLUE RIBBON COMMITTEE ON FLOOD CONTROL ISSUE PROBE
Bonoan is among the personalities subpoenaed by the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee as it resumed its investigation on the flood control scandal on Monday, January 19.
The committee threatened that Bonoan’s absence to the probe may lead to a contempt citation and an arrest warrant.
Despite the February 15 promise to return, Bonoan went back a month a head, personally facing the committee on Monday.
During the hearing, Bonoan clarified and answered the accusations of Senate President Pro Tempore and Blue Ribbon Committee Chairman Panfilo Lacson over giving the President wrong grid coordinates of flood control projects.
Lacson noted this as things that “misled” the President.
Bonoan emphasized that only the potential ghost projects in Bulacan were what he reported to the president, with no similar reports or issues from other regions.
He added that the data were from the consolidated reports from late DPWH undersecretary Catalina Cabral.
He also said that upon knowing differences in the coordinates, he reported it to the President, including the reports of ghost flood control projects.
Bonoan further noted that he had no access or information on the succeeding reports of DPWH after he resigned in September.
Meanwhile, Bonoan is among the respondents of a new plunder case filed by the National Bureau of Investigation, DOJ reported.—Mia Layaguin, Eurotv News