Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel M. Bonoan arrived in Manila on Sunday, Jan. 18, onboard a China Airlines flight from Taipei, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said.
The BI said that Bonoan arrived without a companion and his return was immediately reported to Department of Justice (DOJ) Acting Secretary Fredderick A. Vida.
Earlier, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said that Bonoan deliberately fed false data to Malacañang regarding ghost flood control projects, possibly to throw off the investigation into the matter.
Lacson cited "very reliable information" reaching him showing the data led to incorrect grid coordinates of thousands of flood control projects nationwide.
Bonoan has yet to give his comment on Lacson’s statements.
Bonoan left the Philippines for the United States on Nov. 11, 2025 to accompany his wife for a medical procedure. He informed the DOJ that he will return on Dec. 17, 2025 but he failed to do.
Before he left for the US, Bonoan was placed in an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order (ILBO) to monitor his travels after having been tagged in the anomalous government flood control projects.