Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian on Saturday, Aug. 15, said he had never heard of a so-called “leadership fund” for senators, as he rejected claims made by former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel Bonoan.

Bonoan has claimed that a P24zbillion “leadership fund” was intended for senators, with allocations ranging from P500 million to P1 billion per senator.

“Ako 10 years na ako sa Senado at never ko pa narinig itong leadership fund at never rin ito inoffer sa akin whether sa DPWH or anyone from the Senate (I have been in the Senate for 10 years and I have never heard of this leadership fund, and it was never offered to me either by the DPWH or anyone from the Senate),” Gatchalian said in a DZMM interview.

Gatchalian said he first heard the term from the late DPWH undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, whose statements were cited in a privilege speech by Senator Panfilo Lacson last year.

He also denied discussing any such arrangement with former Senate Presidents Juan Miguel Zubiri and Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who Bonoan reportedly linked to alleged leadership fund allocations for the 2024 and 2025 budgets.

Gatchalian, who chaired the Senate finance committee during the previous budget cycle, said there was no such arrangement under his watch.

He said senators' proposed budget amendments were coursed through the finance committee or proposed on the Senate floor and uploaded to the Senate website.

He acknowledged that senators could endorse project proposals from government agencies and local governments, but said these were subject to the finance committee's discretion and the government's available fiscal space.

Local governments were also required to provide supporting documents such as local resolutions, programs of work and, where possible, Regional Development Council endorsements and feasibility studies, he said.

Gatchalian warned that pre-arranged funding could become problematic if it was coupled with agreements with contractors, as those controlling the funds could steer projects toward favored firms.

He stressed that budget amendments proposed by senators should be for local governments or government agencies, not for lawmakers themselves or contractors.

“Those amendments ay para sa LGU, para sa mga ahensya, hindi para sa sarili mo (Those amendments are for LGUs, for agencies, not for yourself),” Gatchalian said.

Gatchalian said he could not determine why Bonoan had raised the issue, noting that the former official appeared to have been recounting a conversation with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

He said it remained unclear whether such a fund existed, whether only a few people knew about it or whether Bonoan's claims were part of his legal strategy.