Marcos unaware of alleged DPWH ‘leadership fund,’ says Palace

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was not aware of the alleged “leadership fund” allotted by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for senators during the tenure of former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said Thursday.

Bonoan said before the Sandiganbayan on Wednesday that all senators in the previous Congress allegedly availed themselves of at least P500 million each from the DPWH fund to accommodate their pet projects.

READ: Bonoan: ‘All senators’ got share of ‘leadership fund’

“Kung alam ng Pangulo, hindi mangyayari iyan, di ba? Parang teacher, kapag kayo’y nangopya, ipapaalam ninyo ba sa teacher ninyo, ‘pag nahuli kayo ng teacher, anong gagawin ng teacher? Eh ‘di ba bibigyan kayo ng penalty,” Castro said in a briefing when asked whether Marcos is knowledgable about the said fund.

(If the President knew about it, that wouldn’t have happened, right? It’s like a teacher—if you cheated, would you tell your teacher about it? And if the teacher caught you, what would the teacher do? Of course, you would be given a penalty.)

“So, ‘yun nalang, kung alam ng Pangulo iyan, hindi niya iyan ito-tolerate at hindi iyan mangyayari. Pero, mga ganito kasing usapan, minsan lihim,” she added.

(So, let’s just put it this way: if the President knew about it, he would not have tolerated it, and it would not have happened. But sometimes, these kinds of arrangements are kept secret.)

In further distancing the Palace from the alleged “leadership fund,” Castro asserted that there is no such fund under the leadership of DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon.

Castro also said the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027 is free from any “leadership fund.”

“No leadership fund under the 2027 budget. All projects proposed in a 2027 DPWH budget are based on needs of the local and regional government,” Castro said, citing a statement from the DPWH.

“And if needed, secured clearance from RDC [Regional Development Council] and development council to ensure that this benefit the people. Only projects that have complete the documentary requirements, such as plans, programs are submitted to ensure complete—rather, to ensure compliance with DBM [Department of Budget and Management] guidelines,” she continued.

But Castro said there is nothing inherently wrong with officials having projects under the DPWH, as long as these genuinely benefit their constituents and do not involve kickbacks or other irregularities.

She said Marcos, the DPWH, and the DBM are being careful to ensure that abuses that allegedly occurred “way back in 2018” do not happen again. /jpv