Move to drop Bonoan from graft, plunder raps submitted for resolution

MANILA, Philippines — State prosecutors’ motion to file an amended information to discharge former Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan from the plunder and graft cases against him has been submitted for resolution, the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division said.

The move to discharge Bonoan from the cases is part of a bid to make him a state witness.

“After an exchange of explanations… the said motion is now deemed submitted for resolution,” Fifth Division Chairperson Hon. Zaldy Trespeses said after an hour-long clarificatory hearing at the anti-graft court in Quezon City on Wednesday, July 15.

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READ: Ombudsman: Bonoan’s state witness bid made to pin down Romualdez

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

In arguing for the motion, Assistant State Prosecutor III Reza Casila-Derayunan cited Section 14 of Rule 110 of the Revised Rules on Criminal Procedure, which states:

“A complaint or information may be amended, in form or in substance, without leave of court, at any time before the accused enters his plea.”

Casila-Derayunan also noted that Bonoan and co-accused Sen. Jinggoy Estrada have yet to be arraigned on the plunder and graft charges.

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However, Bonoan and Estrada’s three other co-accused—DPWH officials Denyrl Caesar Sanchez Cortuna, Manny Bumagat Bulusan, and Arturo Lombres Gonzales Jr.—already entered not guilty pleas in June.

Fifth Division Junior Member Hon. Gener Gito questioned why state prosecutors were pursuing Bonoan’s discharge under Section 14 of Rule 110 instead of Section 17 of Rule 119, which provides that the court may allow one or more accused to be discharged “with their consent” to become state witnesses after satisfying several criteria.

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“We will cross that bridge when we get there,” Casila-Derayunan answered.

Speaking briefly to reporters after the hearing, Casila-Derayunan said, “We remain steadfast in our position, and we are hoping for the best because we are going to utilize Bonoan as our witness, so we need to have him excluded from the information. We remain hopeful.”

Bonoan, Estrada, and their three co-accused are facing graft and plunder charges over alleged illegal budget insertions and project allocations worth P573 million into the DPWH infrastructure portfolio for fiscal year 2025.

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The Office of the Ombudsman earlier said it sought to discharge Bonoan and turn him into a state witness to help prove other cases related to the flood control corruption scandal. /mcm