Anti-Corruption’s ‘David’ Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste Wants ex-DPWH Secretary Manual Bonoan as State Witness in Flood Control Projects Probe
INSPECTION. President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. (in white shirt) in one of his inspections of anomalous flood control projects in Baliwag, Bulacan, on August 20, 2025. (Credit: Presidential Communications Office)
“Observation by others from this data, there is centralized corruption sa Central Office ng DPWH. At kung meron taong magbunyag nitong lahat, no one better than Manny Bonoan.”
— Batangas Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste
Screen grab of Rep. Leandro Legarda Legiste, who is emerging as a ‘David’ in the fight against the ‘Goliath’ of flood control projects scam. (Credit: DZMM TeleRadyo)
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VIA DZMM TELERADYO, January 21, 2026 (SDN) — Manuel M. Bonoan, 80 years old, former public works secretary, as state witness?
Yes, if the young anti-corruption solon Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste, 1st District, Batangas, is the one making the decision.
“Observation by others from this data, there is centralized corruption sa Central Office ng DPWH. At kung meron taong magbunyag nitong lahat, no one better than Manny Bonoan. (…in the Central Office of DPWH. And if there is a person who will expose all of this…),” the youthful legislator suggests. He was speaking about the DPWH documents in his possession he has been exposing in batches.
Leviste made this suggestion over the morning TV-radio program of Alvin Elchico and Doris Bigornia, today, Wednesday. He was discussing the some more batches of files he got from the personal computer (PC) of the late DPWH undersecretary Catalina Cabral, who was found lifeless in a ravine in Tuba, Benguet, Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) on December 18, 2025. He said Cabral had her permission when he got them from her Desktop computer.
Congressman Leviste, son of Sen. Loren Legarda and former Batangas governor Antonio C. Leviste, has become a sort of a “David” fighting the humongous “Goliath” of corruption in the Philippine government’s investigation on the anomalous flood control projects. Unfinished, sub-standard, and non-existent or “ghost” projects littered the Filipino nation, resulting in the loss of billions of pesos of the people’s money. And the news reports have now also landed in foreign news organizations.
So far, none has come close to matching Congressman Leviste’s boldness and bravery and courage in exposing the connection linking some contractors to the DPWH (at least some officials), and to senators and congressmen, and even some Cabinet officials named by contractors and public works officials.
He has a bunch of files from Cabral’s PC, which he is exposing to the public, on social media, by batch. As a result of his revelations, Congressman Leviste has gained support, brickbats, friends, and enemies as well: a whole mix of different people who maybe on either side of the coin, and others nonchalantly just sitting on the fence. Anti-corruption and pro-corruption?
“No better state witness in the flood control projects controversy than Manuel Bonoan”
“Ang isang panawagan namin, sana ang mga contractor magsalita naman, kung meron man masamang nangyari para makatulong naman sila sa imbestigasyon, aminin nila, sino ‘yon kinausap nila para makakuha ng bilyon-bilyong contracts.
(Translation: One of our calls is that we are hoping that contractors will speak now, and if there was something bad that happened they can help in the investigation, reveal them who they spoke to get billions and billions of contracts.”
“Lalong magandang maging state witness si Manuel Bonoan. Personally, naaawa ako sa kanya kasi may 80 years old na siya. Siguro naman gusto niyang tulungan ang ating bansa. Bibigyan sana natin ng pagkakataon si Manuel Bonoan na maging hero sa buong flood control controversy na ito at kusa siyang umuwi pa sa bansa para humarap sa Senado kaya mabuti din naman po ‘yon, ‘di ba?”, Congressman Leviste points out.
(Translation: Manuel Bonoan will be a better witness. Personally, I pity him because he is already 80 years old. Maybe, he wants to help the nation. We will give Manuel Bonoan an opportunity to become hero in all this flood control controversy, and he voluntarily came home to the country to face the Senate. So, isn’t that good.)
Congressman Leviste continues: “I guest this is the first time this is being (suggested). I have not seen people call for it, pero sana isa si Manuel Bonoan sa maging state witness dahil ito po ang punto ko, ang lumalabas sa listahn ng mga projects and contractors na ito, sa mga pondo na hindi ina-allocate ng mga congressman ay daang-daang billion…” (”but hopefully Manuel Bonoan would be one of the state witnesses because this is my point: what is coming out from the list of projects and contractors here, in the funds that are being allocated by congressmen are hundreds of billions.)
