Remulla: Ex-DPWH chief Bonoan to be state witness

MANILA, Philippines — Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) chief Manuel Bonoan, despite being a respondent in a plunder case before the Sandiganbayan, will soon become a state witness, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Monday.

“We already have a signed agreement for the cooperation of former secretary Manuel Bonoan to be a state witness,” Remulla said in a press conference.

Remulla said state prosecutors have already filed a motion to discharge the case against Bonoan before the anti-graft court’s Fifth Division, who handles his plunder case in which Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is also a co-accused.

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According to Remulla, Bonoan’s testimony will be very crucial having had institutional knowledge that could pin down several individuals.

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“The knowledge that he has about the whole institution is something very important to us to be able to prove many cases,” Remulla said.

READ: Estrada, Bonoan to be arraigned on June 30

“We will be benefiting from his testimony with regard to so many of the cases that we are filing,” he added.

The arraignment of Estrada and Bonoan in their plunder case before the anti-graft court’s Fifth Division is scheduled for June 30, Tuesday.

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Previously, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said their plunder case stemmed from “intricate mechanism involving illegal budgetary insertions and project allocations” within the DPWH infrastructure portfolio for fiscal year 2025 worth P573 million. State prosecutors later said of this amount, P350 million was for Metro Manila and Oriental Mindoro while P213 million was for Bulacan.

READ: P573M ‘systematically delivered’ to Jinggoy Estrada in 3rd plunder case

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Clavano said the P573 million worth of alleged kickbacks was “systematically delivered” to Estrada. /das

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