Bonoan to check claims some ghost projects were proposed by DPWH

Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan on Tuesday emphasized that he has not benefited from any infrastructure projects, and said he will look into whether any of the so-called ghost projects were initiated by the department.

"Absolutely! Absolutely on my part. I don't even have to tolerate this kind of attitude. That's why I'm filing all the charges against anybody who are involved up to this ghost projects that had been discovered by the President," Bonoan said in an ambush interview at the House of Representatives.

He also said he will double-check claims by House Infrastructure Committee Co-chair Representative Terry Ridon that some ghost projects are "National Expenditure Program-originated," meaning proposed by the DPWH.

"We will try to find out if this is correct. Maybe if it is NEP or initiated, we will try to find out. Pero for as long as it is a ghost project, then we'll have to file the necessary charges against those who are included into this program. In fact, today I think I have issued the preventive suspension of the district offices involved in ghost projects," he said.

Ridon, in a separate interview, said the House Infrastructure Committee or InfraComm will start its investigation into flood control and other infrastructure projects on September 2.

The DPWH, as well as the Commission on Audit and the Bureau of Internal Revenue, will be invited.

Ridon said invitations will also be sent to the top 15 contractors already mentioned by the president.

"There should be criminal charges for ghost projects. So lahat po ng mga nakapirma po roon [everyone whose signatures are on there], project engineer, district engineer, should be liable for the ghost project. And the contractor as well, Ridon said.

"We have to check with COA kung nagkaroon na ba sila ng post-audit dito po sa proyektong ito. Kung wala pa, wala po silang problema. Ongoing po ito. Pero kung nagkaroon ng post-audit tapos sinabi nila na wala po itong problema, masasama din po sila sa mga pwedeng kasuhan," Ridon added.

(We have to check with COA if they have conducted a post-audit on these projects. If they haven't yet, there's no problem. But if they have conducted a post-audit and said there was no problem, then they could also be among those held liable.)

When asked if the liability will go up to Bonoan, Ridon said, "We will see kung ano ho yung level ng kanya pong responsibility. Pero, again, kung ina-admit niya, halimbawa, na meron po failure to check at the level of the Central Office or at the level of the Regional Director, there is ultimate responsibility on the secretary of the Department of Public Works."

Bonoan replied that although he has command responsibility of the department, certain tasks have been delegated to other officials.

"I think the command responsibility, of course, I am on top of the entire agency but there are authorities that have been delegated to the district offices and the regional offices. So, we'll look into that," he said. — BM, GMA Integrated News