Estrada to pursue legal remedies after ex-DPWH chief dropped as co-accused

Senator Jinggoy Estrada said he will pursue all available legal remedies after former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan was dropped as a co-accused in a plunder and graft case involving the senator. In a statement Tuesday, Estrada said he respects the court’s decision but emphasized that such development did not end his legal recourse. "While I respect the decision of the Sandiganbayan, I wish to emphasize that there remain legal remedies available to me under our judicial system, which my legal team will carefully study and pursue at the appropriate time," Estrada said. "I intend to avail myself of all remedies provided under our laws," he added. Estrada also said he would continue to rely on due process and the rule of law. "My faith in our judicial system remains firm. I will continue to stand by the truth and pursue every lawful means available to protect my rights and clear my name and honor," he stated. The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, voting 2-1, ruled that it was within the Ombudsman’s “prosecutorial discretion” to determine which accused it would use as a state witness. "The decision to move for the discharge of an accused is part of the Ombudsman’s prosecutorial discretion of who should be used as a state witness, to bolster the successful prosecution of criminal offenses," the court said based on a copy of the decision obtained by GMA News. Bonoan was among Estrada’s co-accused in the case, along with three others. The Ombudsman charged them in May for allegedly conspiring to amass more than P500 million in kickbacks from flood control projects. In June, the Ombudsman asked the Sandiganbayan to exclude Bonoan from the charges after the former Department of Public Works and Highways chief expressed willingness to cooperate with the agency. The Ombudsman said Bonoan’s testimony was necessary to uncover the alleged system behind the kickback scheme involving anomalous flood control projects. "His cooperation was indispensable to uncover the architecture that may have set the entire machinery in motion," the Ombudsman said in its June 11, 2026 resolution. The Sandiganbayan also said the Ombudsman is empowered under the law to grant immunity to a state witness. Estrada and Bonoan have yet to be arraigned by the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division due to pending motions. The court has scheduled Estrada’s arraignment for September 3. —KG, GMA News