MALACAÑANG on Thursday said all Cabinet officials implicated in the flood control controversy who resigned and left the country were not yet off the hook and might still be held liable. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro issued the statement after Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson revealed that former Public Works secretary Manuel Bonoan, who is currently abroad, deliberately submitted wrong grid coordinates of flood control projects to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. “Even if they are in another country, they can still be pursued under Philippine law, and if necessary, they can be charged with a case,” Castro said during a press conference. “If there is evidence to present, they will remain accused if they do not return to the Philippines,” she added. Bonoan, former secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), left the country on Nov. 11, 2025, supposedly to accompany his spouse for a medical procedure in the United States, despite being the subject of an immigration lookout bulletin due to the flood control issue. The Bureau of Immigration previously said Bonoan has yet to return to the country, despite a stated arrival date of Dec. 17, 2025. Lacson, who chairs the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, said Bonoan intentionally sent Malacañang “incorrect grid coordinates” to cover up ghost projects. The senator said the data provided by Bonoan was used for the Sumbong sa Pangulo website. The Sumbong sa Pangulo website was launched by Malacañang after Marcos ordered an investigation into anomalous flood control projects and named the top 15 contractors that cornered P100 billion in contracts between 2022 and 2025. Castro said she could not comment on the matter until the information was confirmed. “We are still verifying the statements made by Senator Lacson, so we are not yet able to provide details and we need to verify all of this first,” she said. “There have been instances where the president himself discovered ghost projects and anomalous flood control projects, and these have been verified. But if what is being mentioned now is different and stated in very general terms, I cannot confirm it, so I still need to verify the statements made by Senator Lacson,” she added. Castro said she was not privy to whether Bonoan had made a commitment or any sort of agreement with the president to make himself available for investigation in relation to the flood control anomalies. She reiterated that Marcos wanted everyone involved in the anomalous anti-flood projects to be investigated. The Palace official also said that it would be better if Bonoan returned to the country to shed light on the allegations against him. “I cannot speak for former Secretary Bonoan. I do not know what he said or what he promised. What is important is that he needs to return to the Philippines,” Castro said. The Independent Commission for Infrastructure has recommended filing criminal and administrative charges against Bonoan and other former DPWH officials over a P95-million flood control project in Bocaue, Bulacan. Bonoan earlier denied allegations that he was involved in flood control anomalies. Lacson said the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, which he leads, will subpoena Bonoan to attend its next public hearing on Jan. 19. If Bonoan still fails to show up, he will be cited in contempt, and an arrest warrant may be issued against him. If this happens, Lacson said the committee will ask Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez to coordinate with US authorities to deport Bonoan to the country. “Bonoan’s stay in the US will expire, he cannot stay there forever. The longest stay in the US is six months. Beyond that, his stay will become unauthorized, and he may be arrested and brought back, either through extradition or deportation,” Lacson said. The Senate president pro tempore said he received “very reliable information” showing the data led to incorrect grid coordinates of thousands of flood control projects nationwide. He said this resulted in grossly inaccurate data involving some 421 ghost projects on previously inspected flood control projects earlier reported to the public by the DPWH. “I received reliable information that former DPWH secretary Manuel Bonoan deliberately submitted to Malacañang incorrect grid coordinates of thousands of flood control projects all over the country, which formed part of the Sumbong sa Pangulo website,” Lacson said on Wednesday. “If several projects in the Sumbong Sa Pangulo website turn out to be false, people will think it is not reliable,” the senator said during a media forum. “Even if he insists he is not a principal player, we can very clearly see his complicity in covering up the crime,” the senator said in English and Filipino. The DPWH is now “trying to rectify” the data by comparing the records in their multiyear planning and scheduling, project and contract management application, and other related documents that remain intact and in the possession of the department, he said. Former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo in a previous Senate probe on the scandal testified that Bonoan had received billions of pesos in kickbacks related to infrastructure projects.