Ombudsman makes former DPWH chief Bonoan state witness

The Office of the Ombudsman has formally moved to turn former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan into a state witness, banking on his insider knowledge to bolster multiple high-profile corruption cases involving alleged illegal budget insertions and kickbacks from flood control projects. Officials announced the decision on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, stating that Bonoan has signed a cooperation agreement and that they have filed motions to discharge him as a defendant so he can testify for the prosecution.

Prosecutors indicated Bonoan’s testimony is expected to be pivotal in cases against several prominent figures, including former House Speaker Martin Romualdez and former Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano stated that Bonoan approached investigators about three weeks ago, offering to detail what he knows about a multibillion-peso corruption scheme. Clavano explained that Bonoan, as the former head of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), was in a unique position with personal knowledge of how lawmakers inserted allocations into the national budget for favored projects and contractors.

The Ombudsman’s office acknowledged it was a...