Sandiganbayan orders release of ex-DPWH chief Manuel Bonoan
The Sandiganbayan has ordered the release of former Department of Public Works and Highways secretary Manuel Bonoan from hospital detention.
In a resolution, the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division directed the ex-official's release after it agreed to exclude Bonoan from the plunder and graft cases in connection with the flood control scandal.
Bonoan's counsel, Atty. Stefanie Liz Ong, asked for his release on Sept. 3 during the arraignment of the former secretary's co-accused Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
Bonoan has been detained at the Philippine National Police General Hospital since June.
However, the PNP said that he may not be released immediately, as per an ABS-CBN report.
"We have seen a copy of the order of the Sandiganbayan, and it's being processed right now by the CIDG since [nasa] custody nila si ex-secretary Bonoan," PNP Public Information Office acting chief and spokesperson PCol. Allen Co said.
Co noted that the resolution stated that there was a stipulation on the release: "Unless he is being detained for any other lawful reason."
"Titingnan po natin kung meron pa bang outstanding warrant against him or if he is facing any other cases sa ibang division," he added.
In June, the Office of the Ombudsman issued an arrest warrant against Bonoan, Estrada, former DPWH district engineers Manny Bulusan and Arturo Gonzales Jr., and assistant district engineer Denryl Caesar Cortuna over their alleged links to the anomalous flood control projects.
Bonoan was charged with one non-bailable count of plunder and two counts of graft over alleged kickbacks from flood control projects amounting to P573 million. He now faces only a graft charge before the Second Division, for which he has already posted bail.
With the dropping of the charges against Bonoan, the anti-graft court is, in effect, allowing Bonoan to turn state witness.
In its motion to drop Bonoan from among his co-accused, the prosecution moved to cite Estrada as the only one accused of allegedly accepting P213.7 million worth of kickbacks from two DPWH flood control projects in Bulacan.