Former Public Works Secretary Manuel “Manny” Bonoan has left the country for the United States, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.
BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said in a message to Inquirer that Bonoan “departed this afternoon for the United States via Taiwan.”
Bonoan’s name is on the Department of Justice’s Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO), which alerts authorities to monitor the travel of individuals under investigation but does not prohibit them from leaving the country.
“Upon encounter, immigration officers immediately coordinated with the DOJ to verify if a hold departure order or warrant of arrest was in effect. The DOJ confirmed that none exists. Hence, he was cleared to depart,” Sandoval explained.
The former DPWH chief is among the government officials implicated in alleged anomalies involving infrastructure and flood control projects. The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) recently held him liable for a P95.04-million “ghost” flood control project in Bulacan and recommended an administrative case over another P72.4-million “ghost” riverbank project in the same province.
