FORMER Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel “Manny” Bonoan has returned to the Philippines after overstaying in the United States, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported.
Bonoan arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Sunday morning from Taipei aboard a China Airlines flight, according to the BI. He had left the country in November 2025, reportedly to accompany his wife for a medical procedure in the United States. The BI noted that Bonoan returned without any travel companion.
The former head of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was the subject of an Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order in relation to the investigation of alleged flood control project anomalies, which began during his tenure at the DPWH. Bonoan is expected to receive a subpoena from the Senate after failing to appear at one of the inquiries into the flood control scandal. His supposed return date was December 17, 2025.
Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson previously revealed that Bonoan had reportedly deliberately sent Malacañang incorrect grid coordinates for flood control projects, which were then used on the “Sumbong sa Pangulo” website. Lacson accused the former secretary of “misleading” the president to “ruin the credibility” that there are ghost flood control projects.
