Metro Manila, Philippines – At least five Cabinet secretaries had billions of pesos of “allocable” funds in the 2025 budget as seen from files of the late Public Works Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral, according to Senate President Pro Tempore Ping Lacson.
“Allocable” funds, as explained before by retired Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, are the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) pork barrel allocations of district representatives lodged in the National Expenditure Program.
Cabral, a central figure in the flood control corruption scandal, told the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee that she made a “parametric formula” for the “allocable” funds as instructed by former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
In a news release on Saturday, Dec. 27, Lacson said the Cabinet members who had “allocables” included a certain “ES,” who had P8.3 billion, and Bonoan, who had at least P30.5 billion.
“Why should Cabinet secretaries get allocables? I thought the allocables were for lawmakers to request projects for their districts, which, to me, is still unacceptable because the National Expenditure Program is the exclusive domain of the executive department,” he said.
Lacson said the five Cabinet members may be invited to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee’s investigation into flood control project anomalies after they authenticate relevant documents obtained through Cabral’s lawyer.
The papers include special allotment release orders (SAROs) dated Dec. 27, 2024, which involved the release of P50 billion in unprogrammed appropriations. Of the amount, P30 billion was allocated for flood control projects. Lacson said many were validated to be ghost or non-existent projects.
The senator said the authentication of the documents may be done by Budget officer-in-charge Rolando Toledo or the DPWH, as Cabral has died.
Cabral was declared dead after being found unconscious and unresponsive at the bottom of a ravine on Kennon Road in Tuba, Benguet.
He said the late DPWH official had shown willingness to testify on the SAROs before she died.
Aside from the five Cabinet members, Lacson said the documents also show some undersecretaries had “allocables” and “non-allocables,” which are the department’s core projects and big-ticket items that are national in scope.
The senator said there were billions of pesos for the House leadership and party-list groups.
The issue of “allocables” and “non-allocables” was brought into light amid the flood control corruption scandal.
The controversy resulted in a leadership change in Congress and the resignations of Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, and Bonoan, who were linked to the scam.
A manhunt continues for resigned Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, who the government believes is or was in Portugal. Co faces graft and corruption charges over a substandard flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro.
