All senators serving in 2024 received a minimum of P500 million in project allocations tucked inside the so-called “leadership funds” within the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) budget. That disclosure came from former DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan during his appearance before the Sandiganbayan Third Division on Wednesday.
The parameters governing those funds were worked out between Bonoan and then-Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, the witness said. “The fund will be under the discretion of the Senate president but there are threshold we have agreed on,” Bonoan told the court.
Rank-and-file senators qualified for at least P500 million each toward their preferred projects, while lawmakers heading major committees, such as the panel overseeing public works, could tap allocations reaching P1 billion or more, according to his account.
Bonoan was testifying for the prosecution in the case against former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., who chaired the Senate public works committee during the 19th Congress. Revilla, free on P1-million bail, stands accused of acting as a co-conspirator in a P92.8-million ghost project in Pandi, Bulacan, allegedly in return for a 25-percent kickback. He has denied the accusation on multiple occasions.
Responding to questioning from Associate Justice Karl Miranda, Bonoan confirmed that Revilla drew from the leadership fund for fiscal years 2024 to 2025. The senator’s roster of priority projects reached the department through Roberto Bernardo, who served as DPWH undersecretary for operations, the witness added.
When Miranda pressed on whether any senators dealt with him one-on-one, Bonoan said none did, explaining that requests came instead through legislative staff or officials such as Bernardo.
Associate Justice Ronald Moreno sought a count of how many lawmakers made use of the fund. “For fiscal year 2025, according to records, all senators availed of the leadership fund,” Bonoan replied. Pressed on whether Sen. Panfilo Lacson figured among them, the former secretary clarified that Lacson had not yet returned to the chamber when the 2025 allocation was drafted in 2024.
The department first devised the mechanism in fiscal year 2024, prompted by budget reductions the previous year. “The leadership fund came about due to the numerous cuts we observed in 2023 [budget],” Bonoan said. Proposals were forwarded by the DPWH to the Department of Budget and Management for inclusion in the National Expenditure Program.
Lacson has since pushed to scrap the leadership funds outright, characterizing them as a reincarnation of the pork barrel system.
