Leadership funds: All 2024 senators had P500M for prio projects — Bonoan

MANILA, Philippines —Every senator in 2024 received at least P500 million for priority projects through “leadership funds,” Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) chief Manuel Bonoan told the Sandiganbayan Third Division on Wednesday.

Bonoan disclosed this while testifying as a prosecution witness against former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., who faces malversation charges over an alleged P92.8-million ghost project in Pandi, Bulacan. Revilla, currently out on a P1-million bail, has repeatedly denied accusations that he took a 25-percent kickback as an alleged co-conspirator.

Leadership fund parameters

According to Bonoan, he discussed with Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who was the Senate president at that time, the parameters of the leadership funds.

“The fund will be under the discretion of the Senate president, but there are threshold we have agreed on,” Bonoan said.

Under the leadership fund, each senators were entitled to at least P500 million allocation for their priority projects, while chairpersons of major committees, including the Senate panel on public works, could have at least P1 billion, according to Bonoan.

Revilla was the chairperson of Senate committee on public works in the 19th Congress.

“Senator Revilla also availed of the leadership fund, for fiscal year 2024 to 2025,” Bonoan said in response to the questions of Associate Justice Karl Miranda.

Bonoan said Revilla submitted his list of priority projects under the leadership funds through Roberto Bernardo, the former DPWH undersecretary for operations.

Miranda asked Bonoan if there are senators who approached him directly, to which the latter respond in the negative, noting it was either the senators’ staff or DPWH undersecretary for operations like Bernardo.

Associate Justice Ronald Moreno asked Bonoan how many senators availed of the leadership fund, to which the witness responded: “For fiscal year 2025, according to records, all senators availed of the leadership fund.”

Moreno asked Bonoan if Sen. Panfilo Lacson is included in those senators, but the former DPWH chief noted that the senator is not an incumbent Senate member when the leadership fund for 2025 was being prepared in 2024.

It was Lacson who called on the abolishing of leadership funds, branding it as the new form of the pork barrel.

Bonoan said the DPWH only came up with the fund in fiscal year 2024.

“The leadership fund came about due to the numerous cuts we observed in 2023 [budget],” Bonoan said.

The project proposals under the fund was submitted by the DPWH to the Department of Budget and Management, which would then include it into the National Expenditure Program. /das

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