Senators deny wrongdoing over alleged P1B DPWH 'leadership funds'

Several senators denied any wrongdoing after former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel Bonoan claimed that some of them received up to P1 billion in “leadership finds."

During the malversation case hearing against former senator Bong Revilla, Bonoan testified that senators received P500 million to P1 billion in allocations. He identified then-Senate President and now Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri as dictating the amount that went to each senator.

In a "24 Oras" report from Maki Pulido on Wednesday, Zubiri and other senators denied this claim.

“As long as there is no corruption, it is transparent and requested by the agency, I don't see anything wrong. So I reiterate that there's nothing wrong with institutional amendments for as long as projects are properly implemented so that they are neither ghost projects nor substandard,” Zubiri said during a Senate session.

Bonoan has also been asked by the prosecution who else got their hands on the list of former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo.

The flood control scam was allegedly orchestrated by having a list of projects where public funds will be funneled through.

The former DPWH secretary said that senators Bong Go, Robin Padilla, and Jinggoy Estrada also got their hands on the list. Bonoan also said that Sen. Imee Marcos sent her thanks for his assistance.

Marcos said that she had no knowledge of what he meant by this.

"Kababayan ko si Sec. Bonoan, hindi ko alam kung ano'ng pasasalamat ang tinutukoy diyan. Nagpapasalamat din naman ako kay Sec. Gatchalian, kay Sec. Herbosa...," she said.

Meanwhile, Padilla said that he hoped that there was more clarity on how Bonoan’s testimony was reported.

"Sama lang po sa susunod 'pag may nagsulat ng ganyan ituloy-tuloy niyo naman kasi nabanggit kami pero hindi nabanggit na FLR iyon, for later release," Padilla said.

Go also denied being part of any “list”, saying that there were many things that the DPWH needed to work on.

"Sigurado po ak na wala naman tayong pinasang listahan kay Usec. Bernardo. Anumang listahan na iyan, pakiklaro lang po na napakaraming listahan ang dapat aksyunan ng DPWH sa ngayon, pero hindi po ito nangangahulugan na konektado ito sa flood control o corruption, so bago magbanggit ng pangalan, bigyan sana ng tamang konteksto," Go said.

GMA News is trying to get a comment from Estrada, who is currently in detention.—Jean Mangaluz/LDF, GMA News