DEPARTMENT of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan has ordered the three-month suspension of applications for authority to travel abroad for personal reasons of all its officials and employees.
Bonoan, in a memorandum issued Friday, August 29, 2025, said the suspension is due to the “ongoing validation of DPWH projects” and the agency’s commitment to transparency and accountability.
“Approval of all applications for authority to travel abroad for personal reasons is hereby temporarily suspended, except for personal travel for urgent medical reasons, effective immediately until the end of November 2025, or unless circumstances warrant the earlier lifting of the suspension or further extension,” the memorandum read.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona) in July, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered the conduct of an in-depth investigation into anomalous flood control projects in the country following massive flooding in communities brought about by a series of weather systems.
This order has put the DPWH in hot water, especially after Marcos himself inspected several anomalous and ghost flood projects in Bulacan, Marikina, Iloilo, and Benguet.
On August 20, following an inspection of one of the ghost flood projects in Bulacan worth more than P55 million, Marcos said he was not only disappointed but “very angry.”
Last week, DPWH district engineer Abelardo Calalo was arrested for allegedly trying to bribe Batangas First District Representative Leandro Leviste with P3.2 million to dissuade him from initiating an investigation into anomalous infrastructure projects in his jurisdiction.
He was charged with violation of Republic Act 3019, also known as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
He posted bail amounting to P60,000 Thursday afternoon, August 28. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)