Estrada opposes bid to drop Bonoan from graft case to be state witness

MANILA, Philippines — The camp of detained Sen. Jinggoy Estrada on Tuesday opposed the motion of state prosecutors to discharge his co-accused, former Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan from the graft case before the Sandiganbayan as a prerequisite to become a “cooperating witness” in a number of flood control cases.

State prosecutors on June 29 filed a Motion for Leave to File Amended Information on the exclusion of Bonoan, prompting the Second Division chaired by Presiding Justice Geraldine Faith Econg to conduct a hearing.

Estrada’s lead counsel Laurence Arroyo said they opposed Bonoan’s motion because granting it would affect the senator’s defense.

Article continues after this advertisement

“It will alter the availability of defenses presently available to Senator Estrada,” Arroyo told the court.

FEATURED STORIES

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

NEWSINFO

Arroyo noted that the amended case information “seeks to delete the accusation that Estrada and Bonoan conspired in the commission of this crime” which is material to their defense.

Prosecutor Reza Casila-Derayunan, however, maintained that the amended information will not “alter the fact of the allegation.”

“Accused Estrada still faces the same criminal [case] arising from the same set of facts,” Casila-Derayunan said.

State prosecutors said the amendment of the case information is just “formal” while Estrada’s camp said that it is “substantial” that would prejudice the senator’s defense.

Article continues after this advertisement

After both parties argued their position, Econg said the court decided that the motion is now submitted for resolution.

“The court has heard enough,” Econg said. “We would like to render a full-blown resolution.”

Article continues after this advertisement

Bonoan has been under hospital arrest in the Philippine National Police General Hospital while Estrada has been detained since June 1.

Estrada and Bonoan were arrested for the non-bailable charge of plunder before the anti-graft court’s Fifth Division for alleged kickbacks the senator received from flood control projects in 2025 — P350 million in Metro Manila and Oriental Mindoro and P213 million in Bulacan.

The graft case lodged in the Second Division is for alleged kickbacks in the Bulacan project worth P213 million, with state prosecutors saying this amounted to about 25 percent of the flood control projects in the province worth P855 million.

Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.

Your subscription has been successful.

The Fifth Division will tackle on Wednesday the similar motion of state prosecutors to discharge Bonoan from the plunder case information. /gsg