THE Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) urged the Office of the Ombudsman to look into the possible violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials committed by several former officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), including its former secretary, Manuel Bonoan, over a P72.3-million ghost flood project in Plaridel, Bulacan.
In a statement, ICI chairperson Andres Reyes said the commission recommended to the Office of the Ombudsman the conduct of investigation on the potential accountabilities of Bonoan and former DPWH undersecretaries Roberto Bernardo and Maria Catalina Cabral in relation to the project, which the Commission on Audit (COA) earlier flagged.
The COA earlier said the P72.3 million riverbank protection structure supposedly at Bagong Silang (Purok 4), Plaridel, Bulacan, was not constructed at the location specified in the Approved Bid Plans.
The contract was awarded to Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc., which was among the top 15 construction firms that bagged the most number of flood control projects across the country from July 2022 to May 2025, by the controversial Bulacan First District Engineering Office.
“Instead, the structure was supposedly relocated to the site identified in the As Staked/As Built Plans. The Commission observed that this deviation was not supported by sufficient documentary evidence to justify or authorize such relocation,” Reyes said.
“The results of the COA technical inspection, together with the available records, clearly establish that the project was never constructed at the designated location in the Approved Bid Plans, thus, not implemented, despite the unwarranted release and full payment of the contract cost by the DPWH to Topnotch,” he added.
The ICI also called on the Ombudsman to evaluate the violation to the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, Malversation and Falsification provisions under the Revised Penal Code, Presidential Decree 1759 and the Government Procurement Reform Act committed by former DPWH Bulacan District engineers Henry Alcantara, Brice Hernandez, and Topnotch president Eumir Villanueva, among others, in relation to the anomalous project.
This is the third recommendation submitted by the ICI to the Office of the Ombudsman.
The first was on September 29 when the commission urged the Ombudsman to determine the appropriate charges to be filed against 18 public officials, including resigned Ako Bicol party-list Representative Elizaldy “Zaldy” Co, in connection to the alleged irregularities in the construction of a road dike along the Mag-Asawang Tubig River, which was implemented by the DPWH Mimaropa through contractor Sunwest Inc.
The ICI noted that the steel sheet piles installed in the project measured only about 2.5 to 3 meters in length, despite the contract's Detailed Engineering Design requiring 12-meter piles, which could translate to a P63 million loss for the government.
The commission also noted apparent deficiencies in documentation supporting progress billings, such as the approval of several payments despite missing records, as well as lapses in project verification.
Sunwest is among the top 15 construction firms that bagged 20 percent or P100 billion worth of flood control projects in the country from 2022 to 2025.
Co co-founded Sunwest but he claimed that he already divested from the firm.
On October 29, the ICI recommended to the Office of Ombudsman the filing of plunder, bribery, and corruption complaints against Senators Joel Villanueva and Jinggoy Estrada, Co, Caloocan Second District Representative Mary Mitzi “Mitch” Cajayon-Uy, Bernardo, and Commission on Audit (COA) Commissioner Mario Lipana over their alleged involvement in anomalous flood control projects in the Bulacan first engineering office.
The recommendation was based on the testimonies of Alcantara and Hernandez where they claimed delivering the kickbacks to the said personalities. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)