The government's widening flood control controversy has escalated on two fronts: the judiciary tightening custody over a former top infrastructure official accused of plunder, while lawmakers and other personalities implicated in separate allegations of cash deliveries in "suitcases, paper bags, and envelopes" firmly reject the claims and threaten legal action.
Bonoan granted hospital arrest
The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division has allowed former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan to be placed under hospital arrest while he faces plunder and graft charges linked to an alleged P573-million flood control kickback scheme. The anti-graft court cited his age and immunocompromised condition, ruling that he may remain under the "effective control and custody" of authorities while confined at the Philippine National Police General Hospital. Medical assessments and regular progress reports were ordered to ensure compliance, with the court maintaining jurisdiction over his detention.
Bonoan, currently at The Medical City for treatment, had earlier surrendered to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group before being brought to the PNP General Hospital, with his transfer to a private facility deemed necessary due to medical limitations in government care. He is among several officials ordered arrested in connection with the alleged flood control anomaly, alongside other high-profile figures facing parallel graft and plunder charges.
Lawmakers reject "suitcase of cash" claims
In a separate but politically charged development, several current and former lawmakers, officials, and public personalities have strongly denied allegations raised by 18 former Marines who claimed that millions of pesos were delivered in suitcases, paper bags, and envelopes as part of supposed cash payouts tied to government dealings. The claims surfaced during a Senate flood control inquiry led by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano's bloc, drawing immediate denials and accusations of political maneuvering.
Former Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers dismissed the testimony as a "political destabilization effort," saying it was designed to divert attention from other national controversies. He also questioned the credibility of the witnesses, describing the allegations as unsupported "storytelling." Former senator Antonio Trillanes IV likewise rejected claims linking him to alleged cash deliveries, insisting he never received any money and pointing out that the International Criminal Court had denied receiving any payments tied to the accusations. He has vowed to file additional cases against those repeating the claims.
Other officials, including Batangas Rep. Gerville Luistro and Manila Rep. Joel Chua, also denied the allegations, citing inconsistencies in the testimonies, including conflicting accounts of where alleged transactions supposedly occurred. Former senator Leila de Lima has already filed libel, cyber libel, and perjury complaints against those behind the accusations, calling the narrative fabricated. Meanwhile, former Makabayan bloc lawmakers France Castro, Arlene Brosas, and Raoul Manuel labeled the allegations a "political demolition job," denying they ever received cash through any meetings or transactions. Religious figures and former officials named in the testimony also rejected the claims, with Rev. Fr. Flaviano Antonio Villanueva's camp calling the allegations false and unsupported by evidence.
Political fault lines widen
The twin developments underscore the intensifying political and legal pressure surrounding the flood control controversy—where allegations of large-scale corruption, contested witness testimonies, and high-profile arrests are converging into a broader institutional battle. As courts enforce detention measures on accused officials and lawmakers push back against what they describe as politically motivated accusations, the scandal continues to deepen amid competing narratives of accountability and alleged political weaponization.
