Bicol Saro Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon has clarified that he is neither calling for the resignation nor the leave of absence of Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan.

At least not yet.

In a press conference Friday, Aug. 8, Ridon acknowledged that the were calls for Bonoan to go on leave amid the controversy on major infrastructure projects. He clarified that no such request was made by the House Committee on Public Accounts, which he chairs.

“Kailangan nating maglinaw na hindi po resignation yung hinihingi ng kahit sino. At tama po yung binanggit niyo, hindi po natin hinihingi na mag-leave of absence si Secretary Bonoan,” said the lawyer-congressman.

(We need to clarify that no one is asking anybody for a resignation. And you're right in what you mentioned, we are not asking Secretary Bonoan to take a leave of absence.)

Ridon explained that the panel could only call for a leave of absence or recommend preventive suspensions if there were established grounds, such as prima facie evidence or questionable approvals.

“Pero until Monday parang wala naman tayong ganoong nakikita. Pero pwede tayong maglinaw yung usapin ho. Ibig sabihin may prima facie case na (But uintil Monday I don't think we saw anything like that. Still, we can seek clarification on the issue. It means there's a prima facie case already),” he said.

Last Monday, the Ridon panel held a briefing with the DPWH on all infrastructure projects including flood control and drainage projects nationwide, as overseen by the Unified Project Management Office.

The recent typhoon-triggered floods in different parts of the country has placed a spotlight of scrutiny on the DPWH.

Through an initial consultation of the committee, Ridon said they have already requested a list of the country’s top flood control contractors from the DPWH, both at the national and regional levels.

He noted that contractor performance must match the scale of awarded contracts.

Ridon said this approach aligns with plans for a joint investigation led by the Committees on Public Accounts, on Public Works, and on Good Government and Public Accountability.