Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel M. Bonoan failed to return to the Philippines last Dec. 17, the day he set for his return trip when he left the country last Nov. 11.
“Records show that he (Bonoan) has not returned to the Philippines to date, despite indicating Dec. 17, 2025 as his return date in his letter, through counsel, on Nov, 10, 2025,” disclosed Bureau of Immigration (BI) Spokesperson Dana Sandoval on Thursday, Dec. 18.
Sandoval said that Bonoan, who is the subject of an Immigration Lookout Bulletin (ILBO), “departed the country on Nov. 11, 2025 for the United States via Taiwan allegedly to accompany his wife for a medical procedure.”
Bonoan has been tagged in the anomalous government flood control projects.
The Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) earlier recommended to the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) to investigate former DPWH officials, including Bonoan, over the P72.3 million flood control project in Plaridel, Bulacan.
The project, located in Barangay Bagong Silang (Purok 4), involved the construction of a riverbank protection structure.
“The project was never constructed at the designated location in the approved bid plans, thus, not implemented,” ICI Chairman, retired Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr., had previously said.
Earlier, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said it will monitor Bonoan’s movements abroad.