manilastandard.net
@ManilaStandardPH
@mnlstandardph
@manilastandard
Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circulation@manilastandard.net . For advertisement: @ManilaStandardYT email: advertise@manilastandard.net • 09173382170 / 85646229
Erice claims OMB Remulla got P1.5b confi funds at DOJ By Maricel V. Cruz A MEMBER of the House minority bloc on Wednesday accused Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla of seeking a huge amount of confidential and intelligence funds from then House
appropriations chair and now-fugitive Zaldy Co. Caloocan City 2nd District Rep. Edgar Erice made the accusation against Remulla, who was then secretary of the Department of Justice. Next page
VOL. XL • NO. 180 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 13, 2026
‘2024 senators got leadership fund’ Bonoan: P24b for budget insertions, including for flood control projects By Joel Zurbano and Rio Araja
A
LL senators in 2024 received a so-called “leadership fund” – a minimum of P500 million per senator and up to P1 billion for those who have committee chairmanships, former Public Works secretary Manuel Bonoan testified before the Sandiganbayan yesterday. Bonoan disclosed this during the hearing on the malversation case against Senator Bong Revilla over an alleged ghost project in Pandi, Bulacan. He claimed the total amount of leadership fund reached P24 billion, with then Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri having the discretion as to increases.
“The fund will be under the discretion of the Senate president but there are thresholds we have agreed on,” Bonoan said. Bonoan added that then DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo allegedly used Revilla and Senator Jinggoy Estrada to submit lists of projects.
Incumbent senators in 2024 1. Juan Miguel Zubiri 2. Loren Legarda 3. Joel Villanueva 4. Koko Pimentel III 5. JV Ejercito 6. Mark Villar 7. Risa Hontiveros 8. Sonny Angara 9. Nancy Binay 10. Alan Cayetano 11. Pia Cayetano 12. Bato dela Rosa
13. Francis Escudero 14. Jinggoy Estrada 15. Sherwin Gatchalian 16. Bong Go 17. Lito Lapid 18. Imee Marcos 19. Robin Padilla 20. Grace Poe 21. Bong Revilla 22. Francis Tolentino 23. Raffy Tulfo 24. Cynthia Villar
Next page
PRIME WITNESS. Former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan enters the Sandiganbayan court room to testify in the case against former Senator Bong Revilla. News5 screen grab
VP’s lawyers question COA rules; Explain, Duterte dared By Joel E. Zurbano, Maricel V. Cruz and Ram Superable THE defense team of Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday questioned Commission on Audit (COA) rules governing confidential funds and challenged the prosecution to prove that the VP personally benefited from the ques-
tioned transactions. The 15th day of the Senate impeachment trial of Duterte focused on Article I, which deals with confidential and intelligence funds, while the prosecution pressed the Vice President to explain in person the transfer of confidential funds to military officials who were part of Next page
HABAGAT’S IMPACT. President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. inspects the clean-up of garbage that swamped Baclaran River at the height of the flooding in Metro Manila. Upper right inset shows an approaching storm, named Nangka, east of extreme northern Luzon. At right, displaced residents line up in a flooded street to get sacks of rice and fish from the local government of Calasiao, Pangasinan. PCO, PAGASA, Calasiao Information Office through Edd Castro
Monsoon rains here to stay until Saturday By Rio N. Araja and Rex Espiritu METRO Manila will continue to experience cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms over the next few days, according to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA). Meanwhile, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported that the storms left 21 people dead, 14 injured and one missing. On the other hand, the PNP reported 26 dead due to the bad weather. The OCD also said more than 3.1 million people have been affected by the combined effects of tropical cyclones “Luis” and “Maymay,” aggravated by the enhanced southwest monsoon or habagat. Weather forecaster Chenel Dominguez said the southwest monsoon or ‘habagat’ remains the dominant weather system in the country, bringing concentrated rains over the western section of Luzon. The forecast covers Metro MaNext page
PBBM has nothing more to prove in flood control issue — Palace By Charles Dantes MALACAÑANG on Wednesday defended President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. against calls for him to do more to prove he had no involvement in the alleged flood control corruption, saying his public statements and orders have already
made his position on the issue clear. In a radio interview with DZBB, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro made the statement after Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco said Mr. Marcos should do more than simply claim he had no connection to the flood control controversy.
Ex-Speaker‘s camp: DOJ charges undermine Maleta Boys’ claims THE camp of former Speaker Martin Romualdez again questioned the credibility of the so-called “Maleta Boys” after the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed separate cases against some of them, saying the move reinforced its position that their allegations against the Leyte lawmaker were unreliable. Atty. Ade Fajardo, Romualdez’s spokesperson and counsel, said the credibility of the 18 witnesses had been questioned since they surfaced in February, noting that even the Office of the Ombudsman had previously described their statements as calculated
to destabilize the government. “We have long been saying that the statements of the Maleta Boys were not credible or believable, ever since they surfaced in February,” Fajardo said in a DZMM interview. Fajardo said the filing of perjury complaints by several individuals named in the witnesses’ statements further weakened their allegations. “In simple terms, you lied in a sworn statement,” he said of the Maleta Boys, also described as ex-soldiers who served as employees and bodyguards Next page
Castro said the President has repeatedly addressed the issue, including during his State of the Nation Address and a recent media briefing in Canada. “The President has spoken. During the SONA. From the very beginning, during last year’s SONA. ‘You should be ashamed,’ the President said.
Those who should be held accountable must be held accountable,” Castro said. Mr. Marcos also specifically raised the flood control issue in his speeches and called for accountability, Castro said, adding that a presidential directive should be considered an Next page
MMDA to impose P5k fine on garbage violators By Joel E. Zurbano THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is poised to enforce a higher penalty for improper waste disposal in the National Capital Region, with violators facing a fine of up to P5,000. Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. acknowledged that the country is grappling with a serious waste problem, but stopped short of calling it a crisis, saying the government must address both improper disposal and gaps in waste collection. The President also said imposing stiffer penalties for littering would not be enough if communities lack accessible facilities where people can properly dispose of their waste. Next page