THE Office of the Ombudsman is working to have former Public Works and Highways secretary Manuel Bonoan serve as a state witness in its ongoing investigation on anomalies involving government flood control projects.
In a press conference on Monday, June 29, 2026, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said the Ombudsman had already secured Bonoan's commitment to cooperate with investigators.
“We already have a side agreement for the cooperation of former secretary Manuel Bonoan to be a state witness, to be a cooperating witness,” Remulla said.
He added that prosecutors would seek the court's approval to remove Bonoan as a respondent in the case to allow him to testify for the government.
Bonoan, who is currently under hospital arrest, was earlier arrested after the Sandiganbayan issued warrants against him in connection with criminal charges arising from the alleged flood control project anomalies.
He is among several respondents accused of participating in the alleged misuse of public funds intended for flood mitigation infrastructure.
The former Public Works secretary is facing charges alongside Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who was likewise ordered arrested by the anti-graft court.
According to the Office of the Ombudsman, the charges filed against Estrada, Bonoan, and former DPWH Engineers Denryl Cortuna, Arturo Gonzales Jr., and Manny Bulosan stemmed from the “intricate mechanism, illegal budgetary insertions and project allocations within the DPWH infrastructure portfolio for fiscal year 2025.”
Estrada allegedly received P573 million worth of kickbacks after funneling funds into designated infrastructure projects through budget insertions.
If approved by the court, Bonoan's testimony could become central to the prosecution's case by providing firsthand information on how the alleged scheme operated and identifying the roles played by other respondents. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)