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Neil Jayson Servallos - The Philippine Star
August 1, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman may abandon its bid to discharge former public works secretary Manuel Bonoan as a state witness before the Sandiganbayan, warning that he will remain a co-accused if he continues to provide what Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla described as “half-baked” testimony.
At a press briefing yesterday, Remulla said his office is evaluating whether to pursue the motion to discharge Bonoan from the flood control charges as investigators remain dissatisfied with his disclosures.
“We’re studying that because I already gave instructions. I want him to be forthcoming about everything and provide complete information. He shouldn’t hold back any information, especially regarding restitution. It has to be clear, and we’re evaluating it now,” Remulla told reporters.
The anti-graft chief gave Bonoan an ultimatum to fully cooperate or face trial alongside former House speaker Martin Romualdez and the other accused, including Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
“I told him that if the value of his testimony is half-baked, we’d rather not use it and just proceed with the case against him,” Remulla warned.
Remulla added that investigators have encountered difficulties because Bonoan has failed to adequately answer questions regarding the multibillion-peso flood control projects.
“There are questions that he isn’t answering properly. Of course, we’re still trying to get everything he can contribute when there are some answers we’re not able to get from him,” he said.
If Bonoan eventually provides a full and transparent disclosure, Remulla said his testimony would be used against Romualdez in the preliminary investigation.
However, he stressed that Bonoan’s status as a state witness remains conditional.
As the ombudsman weighs Bonoan’s fate, Remulla revealed that his office is expecting Romualdez to submit his counter-affidavit next week after the preliminary investigation formally began.
“He’s already a PI (person of interest), so we expect the counter-affidavit to be submitted here. They should file their counter-affidavit within the next few days,” he said.
Remulla also defended the credibility of the witnesses used in the investigation after Romualdez questioned the continued reliance on former bodyguards now facing cyberlibel and perjury charges.
“The possibility of having 18 people doing everything together for three years without separating and seeing exactly the same things is wrong, isn’t it? It’s impossible,” he added. — Daphne Galvez, EJ Macababbad
