The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) has recommended the filing of criminal and administrative charges against several former officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), including former Secretary Manuel Bonoan, over alleged irregularities in a P95-million flood control project in Bocaue, Bulacan.
ICI Chairperson Andres Reyes Jr. said the project, a slope protection structure and waterway system in Barangay Bambang, was awarded to the joint venture of Topnotch Catalyst Builders Inc. and Beam Team Developer Specialist Inc.
According to Reyes, a report endorsed by the Commission on Audit (COA) revealed that no structure was actually built at the location identified in the approved bid plans, despite the full release of project funds.
“The COA technical inspection and the available records clearly establish that the project was never constructed at the designated location… yet the DPWH released and paid the full contract cost,” Reyes said.
The ICI identified former DPWH officials Manuel Bonoan, Roberto Bernardo, Maria Catalina Cabral, and former district engineers Henry Alcantara and Brice Ericson Hernandez among those recommended for administrative and criminal prosecution.
Reyes said the ICI’s interim report, submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman, recommended that the following charges be filed against Alcantara, Hernandez, and several private individuals: graft, malversation of public funds, falsification of public documents, and violations of the Government Procurement Reform Act.
For Bonoan, Bernardo, and Cabral, the ICI recommended administrative cases for grave misconduct, gross dishonesty, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and possible violations of Republic Act No. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
“The Commission finds sufficient factual and legal basis to recommend the filing of charges against the officials and private individuals who acted in concert or with gross neglect of duty,” the ICI report stated.
The ICI also noted that while a certificate of completion had been issued, physical inspection showed that the project was never implemented nor could it have been completed, making the payment to Topnotch “unlawful and unjustified.”
The Commission said the DPWH officials’ signatures were crucial in processing the statement of work accomplished and the certificate of completion, which led to the release of funds despite the absence of an actual project.
“Finding no plausible or lawful justification for the acts committed, the Commission deems it imperative to recommend the immediate initiation of appropriate charges to redress the injury to the government and ensure accountability,” the report added.