Senate President Pro Tempore and Senate Blue Ribbon Committee chair Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Wednesday accused resigned Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel “Manny” Bonoan of deliberately submitting incorrect grid coordinates of flood control projects to Malacañang, allegedly to "cover up" irregularities in “ghost” projects.

According to Lacson, reliable information indicated that Bonoan intentionally provided inaccurate location data for thousands of flood control projects nationwide, which were later reflected on the government’s Sumbong sa Pangulo website.

“ I received reliable information that former DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan deliberately submitted to Malacanang incorrect grid coordinates of thousands of flood control projects all over the country, which formed part of the Sumbong sa Pangulo website,” Lacson said.

He explained that the alleged act resulted in grossly inaccurate findings, including the identification of around 421 “ghost” flood control projects that had previously been inspected and publicly reported by the DPWH.

“This resulted in grossly inaccurate data involving some 421 ghost projects on previously inspected flood control projects earlier reported to the public by the said department and which they are now trying to rectify,” Lacson added.

As chair of the Senate inquiry into the alleged corruption scandal, Lacson said the submission of wrong coordinates was a clear attempt by Bonoan to "cover up" his involvement in questionable DPWH projects.

“Well, deliberate ibig sabihin no cover-up niya talaga,” Lacson said, recalling Bonoan’s earlier statements disputing Lacson’s speech on alleged ghost projects in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. Bonoan had claimed at the time that the grid coordinates cited were incorrect.

Lacson said his teams had personally visited the alleged project sites, spoken with barangay officials and residents, and confirmed that projects were funded but never implemented.

He explained that the incorrect coordinates led inspection teams from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), and Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev) to the wrong locations. When no projects were found, they were reported as “ghost projects,” inflating the total number.

“Ang unang report 421 out of 8,000. So yan bloated yan. Why? Because when the AFP, ang composite na team or teams ng AFP, PNP, DPWH, kung pupunta sila sa isang lugar para mag-inspeksyon ng suspected ghost flood control projects at mali ang grid coordinates, siyempre wala silang makikitang projects," he said.

"So, i-report nilang ghost 'yan," Lacson said. "So ang outcome masyadong bloated ang 421. So substantially lower dapat ang bilang ng ghost flood control projects. 'Yun ang naging resulta no'n” he added.

Despite this, Lacson maintained that Bonoan’s alleged actions demonstrate complicity in the anomalous awarding of multibillion-peso flood control contracts.

“Maliwanag. Kasi even sabihin nating hindi siya maging prinsipal, sa cover-up pa lang kitang-kita mo ang kanyang complicity,” Lacson said. “That’s part of misleading Malacañang…Kung isa o dalawa lang ang mali, pwede inadvertently na-omit o kaya nagkamali. Pero katakut-takot na talaga at kita nila na deliberate ang pagsumit ng maling grade coordinates. Sabihin mo Sumbong sa Pangulo, niloko niya pa," he said.

He added that falsifying data for the Sumbong sa Pangulo website left a paper trail that authorities could still trace.

In a separate briefing at the Kapihan sa Senado on Wednesday, January 14, Lacson disclosed that authorities have a general idea of Bonoan’s whereabouts in the United States. He said the Philippine Embassy in the US is reportedly monitoring the former DPWH secretary.

Lacson said the Senate is prepared to issue a subpoena should a warrant be released against Bonoan.

“Syempre kung hindi siya makakarating mako-contempt siya at paiisyuhan rin namin ng warrant. Even in the absence of a judicial warrant, we can request the proper authorities para maibalik siya sa Pilipinas,” he noted.

In November 2025, the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) recommended the filing of both criminal and administrative charges before the Office of the Ombudsman against Bonoan and several other DPWH officials. The recommendation stemmed from their alleged involvement in a ₱72-million “ghost” flood control project in Bulacan.

During the same month, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) confirmed that Bonoan had left the country with his wife on November 11, bound for the United States, according to BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval.