Bonoan pressured to testify vs. Romualdez, says former Speaker's camp

A spokesperson for Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, the former Speaker of the House, claimed on Thursday that former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan might be pressured to turn state witness and implicate Romualdez in the flood control corruption scandal. Ade Fajardo said that health and medical considerations are likely reasons behind the task given to Bonoan, who is currently under “hospital arrest” at the Philippine National Police General Hospital in Quezon City. “It’s actually bewildering, because now he is currently in hospital arrest. There is a possibility, for example, once he is cleared medically, that he will be transferred to a regular jail facility. That may have pressured him,” Fajardo said in a radio interview with dzRH, transcripts of which were released to reporters covering the House of Representatives. “I think he’s more than 80 years old. We can say that he is in the late stages of his remaining life here on earth. That’s why there may be some pressure on his mind,” he added. Fajardo further noted that Bonoan has not made any testimony that would link Romualdez to the corruption scandal since it was exposed in July 2025. “The reason why we are perplexed is because you know, there is no evidence […] It seems that Secretary Bonoan suddenly had a perfect memory, if reports that he will testify to pin down former Speaker Romualdez are accurate,” the spokesperson said. “We don’t know that as a fact [if he is being manipulated]. But of course as we all think about this matter, it is not a far possibility that many factors have entered Secretary Bonoan’s mind,” he added. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla earlier confirmed that his office dropped the charges against Bonoan and that he had asked the Sandiganbayan to discharge the former Cabinet official as an accused. Remulla said this was in consideration of the former official’s “very important” testimony about the cases to be filed against the perpetrators of the anomalous flood control projects. Bonoan is facing a nonbailable P573-million plunder charge alongside Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, who has also been detained, for allegedly pocketing flood control funds. The Office of the Ombudsman earlier said it made a preliminary finding of probable cause against Romualdez for plunder, direct and indirect bribery, and money laundering. The former Speaker is accused of masterminding an alleged kickback scheme tied to flood control projects amounting to approximately P56 billion. Romualdez has denied the allegation, saying he did not have “functional control” over the budget process as the spending proposal comes from the President and is deliberated by Congress. Last July 2, Romualdez’s lawyer Elaine Atienza, reacting to reports that Bonoan has been tapped as state witness, maintained that attempts to link the Leyte congressman to flood control corruption “are not supported by evidence.” Atienza added that past investigations and congressional hearings did not show Bonoan implicating Romualdez in the alleged anomalous insertions. “When they have no evidence but our authorities say that the case is strong, for us they seem to be bluffing because up until now, no case has been filed before the court, there are no criminal cases,” Atienza said. “It only means that there is no evidence or the inadequacy of evidence is so huge that it cannot be filled by mere stories,” she added. President Marcos earlier distanced himself from the issue involving his first cousin, saying that it was up to the Ombudsman to decide whether Bonoan should be a state witness. “Again, it’s up to the Ombudsman to decide on how to proceed with all of these investigations,” the President said. “If he feels that the former Secretary Manny Bonoan will be helpful to the cases with the other people then, again, to use the word again—it is his prerogative. It is his decision. It is his judgment,” he added. —WITH A REPORT FROM PNA