Court order required before Jinggoy, Bonoan can travel abroad

February 21, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel Bonoan, and others under precautionary hold-departure order by a Manila regional trial court, cannot leave the country unless they secure a court order for any travel abroad, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said.

In an interview with radio dzMM, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said Bonoan and Estrada were among those added to their derogatory database at all airports in areas covered by immigration.

“The system will see it. Once encountered, if one of them attempts to leave, they will not be allowed to leave and will be reminded that a hold departure order has been issued to them,” Sandoval said.

The Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 52 issued a precautionary hold-departure order against Estrada, Bonoan and former DPWH officials Roberto Bernardo, Henry Alcantara and Gerard Opulencia, who are facing complaints for plunder, violations of Section 3 of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and direct bribery and corruption of public officers under the Revised Penal Code.

Bonoan’s wife is in the US where she is set to undergo a medical procedure. 

“This (precautionary hold departure order) is not a warrant of arrest because in a warrant of arrest, there are additional actions to arrest the subjects, but this one, they will just not be permitted to travel as ordered by the court,” the BI spokesperson explained.

4 more DPWH engineers tagged

Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed a motion to include four more former DPWH engineers previously assigned in Metro Manila as respondents in the plunder case against detained former senator Ramon Revilla Jr. and former DPWH officials Bernardo, Alcantara and Opulencia.

As a result, former DPWH engineers Denryl Caesar Cortuna, Manny Bulusan, Ruel Umali and Arturo Gonzales Jr. will also be summoned to file their counter-affidavits before the DOJ panel reviewing the case against Revilla and others, DOJ spokesman Polo Martinez said.

“The NBI saw that based on evidence, there was an allegation of conspiracy that includes them in the plunder complaint,” he told reporters yesterday.

Because of the NBI’s motion, Martinez said the schedule of the preliminary investigation into Revilla’s plunder complaint would be moved to March 3. — Ghio Ong