Metro Manila, Philippines – Former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan remains in the United States and is expected to return to the Philippines in February, according to the Philippine ambassador in Washington, who said the former official has no plans to permanently stay abroad.
In an interview with NewsWatch Plus on Friday, Jan. 16, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said Bonoan is currently in California and requested an extension of his stay due to his wife’s medical condition.
“He was very frank and said that he will return to the Philippines right after the operation of his wife,” Romualdez said. “The doctors found that the procedure could not yet be done, so it was rescheduled for sometime in February.”
The envoy said Bonoan told him he had sought and received permission from the Philippine Department of Justice to extend his stay.
“That is what he told me — that he had no plans of staying in the United States,” the ambassador said, adding that Bonoan committed to returning once his wife’s medical issue is resolved.
The ambassador said he reached Bonoan through intermediaries after being asked by Philippine authorities to confirm his whereabouts. “We know where he is. He’s not hiding,”
Bonoan, a former head of the Department of Public Works and Highways, has been linked to allegations involving multibillion-peso flood control projects now under investigation in the Philippines.
He is among those summoned by a Senate inquiry, which has warned of possible legal action if invited resource persons fail to appear.
