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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Leadership fund never mentioned to Marcos — Palace

Leadership fund never mentioned to Marcos — Palace

Published Aug 17, 2026 03:17 pm

At A Glance

  • Malacañang said that the so-called leadership fund was never discussed with the President.
  • It also stressed that the leadership fund was never a program initiated by the President.
  • PCO Undersecretary Clair Castro refuted claims that the leadership fund came about upon the President's instructions to address concerns over DPWH budget cuts in 2023 and the insertion of thousands of projects being pushed by lawmakers.
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (Mark Balmores/Manila Bulletin file)
President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (Mark Balmores/Manila Bulletin file)
The leadership fund was never mentioned to President Marcos and was never brought up in past meetings, Malacañang said.
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro disclosed that the so-called leadership fund was never discussed with the President.
Castro also said that Marcos has always been clear that the funds "must be allocated to projects, not to individuals."
The Palace spokesperson said she was able to discuss the issue with the President recently, who affirmed that he has no knowledge of it.
"Sinabi po niya na wala talaga itong pinag-usapan dahil kapag nag-uusap sila at nagri-report si Secretary Manny Bonoan, hinahanapan niya ng proyekto at dapat ang proyekto ay base sa pangangailangan ng lugar, ng bayan. 
Ang pondo ay binibigay sa proyekto, hindi sa tao (He said that this was never discussed because whenever they meet and Secretary Manny Bonoan gives his reports, the President asks about the projects, and the projects must be based on the needs of the area and the community. The funds are allocated to projects, not to individuals)," Castro said in a Palace briefing on Monday, Aug. 17.
"Kaya siguro nabanggit niya na equitable distribution ang nais ng Pangulo, dahil iyon ang utos ng Pangulo. Pero when it comes to leadership fund, never po itong nabanggit sa Pangulo at ito din po ay dinenay ng economic team (That may be why he mentioned that the President wants equitable distribution, because that is the President’s directive. But when it comes to the leadership fund, this was never mentioned to the President, and this was also denied by the economic team)," Castro added.

'Never a program of Marcos'

The Palace mouthpiece stressed that the leadership fund was never a program initiated by the President.
"So, kung mayroon man silang pag-uusap among themselves dito sa DPWH, hindi po ito kailanman naging programa ng Pangulo (If there were discussions about the leadership fund among themselves at the Department of Public Works and Highways, it was never a program of the President)," she said.
She further said that "the leadership fund is also not included in the General Appropriations Act (GAA)."
"Iyan din po ay itinanong natin mismo sa DBM. Wala pong leadership fund dito sa GAA (We asked the DBM about this directly, and there is no leadership fund in the GAA)," Castro said.

'Ayusin mo ang trabaho mo'

Castro also refuted the claims of Bonoan, the former DPWH secretary, that the leadership fund came about upon the President’s instructions to address concerns over DPWH budget cuts in 2023 and the insertion of thousands of projects being pushed by lawmakers.
The Palace spokesperson revealed that he was firm on instructing the then DPWH head to ensure that all projects are properly implemented.
"Ang utos nga niya ay dapat maging maayos ang lahat ng proyekto (His directive is for all projects to be properly implemented)," Castro said.
"Ayaw kong sabihing pinagalitan si Secretary Manny Bonoan, pero noong huli kaming nag-usap ng Pangulo sa mukha niya, iyon ang gusto niyang sabihin kay Secretary Manny Bonoan, 'Ayusin mo ang trabaho' (I don’t want to say that the President reprimanded Secretary Manny Bonoan, but the last time I spoke with the President face-to-face, that was what he wanted to tell Secretary Manny Bonoan: 'Do your job properly')," Castro added.
Castro also said that when the President noticed inaccuracies in the reports, he ordered the investigation.
She pointed out that Marcos did not ignore the anomalies in the DPWH.
"Kaya nga po, ano ang ginawa ng Pangulo noong nalaman niya na may anomalya sa DPWH? Dahil mali-mali na iyong report ni Secretary Manny Bonoan, ang ginawa agad ng Pangulo ay nagpaimbestiga(So, what did the President do when he learned about the anomalies at the DPWH? When Secretary Manny Bonoan’s reports turned out to be inaccurate, the President immediately ordered an investigation)," Castro said.
"Wala namang magagawa ang Pangulo kung hindi paimbestigahan iyan dahil kung mayroon kayong ginawang anomalya diyan, dapat managot ang lahat ng dapat na managot. Hindi po ito pinabayaan ng Pangulo (There was nothing else the President could do but have the matter investigated because if there were irregularities, everyone responsible must be held accountable. The President did not let the issue slide)," Castro added.
Meanwhile, the possibility of Bonoan being a state witness is not being discuessed, Castro said, adding that it would depend on the court.

Related Tags

President Marcos Leadership fund DPWH Manuel Bonoan infrastructure projects
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