Senate Majority Leader and former Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri has denied allegations by former Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan that he handled a project list or “leadership funds” allocated to senators.
Zubiri said he never requested or handled project requests from senators. He also said no proposed budget amendments pass through his office.
“Wala akong hinahawakang ganoong listahan,” Zubiri said, adding that senators could attest to his statement.
According to Zubiri, all project requests pass through the Senate Committee on Finance, which oversees the budget process in the chamber.
Zubiri also said he saw nothing wrong with institutional amendments intended to support roads, bridges, airports, seaports and other necessary infrastructure projects, provided these are properly implemented.
His statement came after Bonoan alleged that senators had discretion over “leadership funds” supposedly allocated to each member of the Senate.
Bonoan claimed the minimum allocation was ₱500 million for each senator, while ₱1 billion was allegedly allotted to the chairperson of major Senate committees.
Zubiri’s denial directly addressed the allegation that he had control over project lists or funds connected to senators’ infrastructure requests.
He maintained that budget-related project requests follow the Senate’s Finance Committee process and said he did not personally handle such lists.
The issue centers on allegations involving infrastructure allocations and the Senate budget process, while Zubiri rejected the claim that he held or requested such project lists.
