MANILA, Philippines – Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said on Wednesday, January 14, that former public works secretary Manuel Bonoan had given Malacañang the wrong coordinates to alleged ghost flood control projects.

Speaking to reporters, the chair of the Senate blue ribbon panel investigating corruption in flood projects said that the wrong coordinates led to a bloated count of ghost flood control projects.

When asked why Bonoan would “deliberately” try to inflate the tally of ghost flood control projects, Lacson said the former public works chief might have been trying to cover up his tracks.

“That’s part of misleading Malacañang because he submitted the wrong coordinates,” he said in Filipino.

Bonoan has been in the United States since November 2025 after telling authorities he will return by December 17.

Former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo earlier accused Bonoan, Senator Mark Villar who was public works chief of the Rodrigo Duterte administration, and the late former DPWH undersecretary Cathy Cabral as the operators of the “kickback” system in the agency. The Independent Commission for Infrastructure has since recommended the filing of charges against Bonoan and Cabral.

Lacson said that when the composite teams of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, and Department of Economy, Planning and Development went to the supposed project sites using the wrong coordinates, of course, they did not see any project, and reported them as “ghost projects.”

“So substantially lower dapat ‘yung bilang ng ghost flood control projects (the number of ghost flood control projects should be substantially lower),” he said.

Because of this, Lacson said the Department of Public Works and Highways is trying to correct the list by comparing the coordinates in their Multi-Year Planning and Scheduling system to those in the department’s Project and Contract Management Application.

Blue ribbon probe returns

Apart from Bonoan’s alleged attempt to cover up his tracks, Lacson said the blue ribbon panel will also look into other new developments regarding the flood control scandal when it resumes its hearings on Monday, January 19.

Lacson said the investigation will look into the supposed links between former House speaker Martin Romualdez and the Discaya couple, fueled by rumors that Romualdez allegedly purchased a property in a posh subdivision in Makati City through the Discayas.

“If verified to be true, this could possibly establish a direct connection between the former speaker and the Discayas. In this regard, we may invite the former owner of the property to shed light,” he said.

Lacson also claimed that he spoke to at least three sources who confirmed that the purchase was made through a third party. If true, Lacson believes the transaction hints at a closer relationship between the presidential cousin and the Discayas.

“One of the stories was that a maid saw the Discayas here [at the Senate] during the hearings and said, ‘Ma’am, they’re the people that bought your house,’” Lacson recalled in a mix of English and Filipino.

Lacson also said his panel will look into the “Cabral files,” a set of DPWH documents that allegedly showed the department’s funding for congressional districts from 2023 to 2025. He added that the committee has ordered the DPWH to present the original files through a subpoena duces tecum.

The files were initially released in December by Batangas 1st District Representative Leandro Leviste.

– Rappler.com