Former DPWH Secretary Bonoan Released from Detention

Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan has been released from detention following an order from the Sandiganbayan, the anti-graft court. The Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed his release on Friday. Bonoan had been under hospital arrest at the PNP General Hospital in Camp Crame, Quezon City. His convoy departed the hospital around 10:35 a.m. on Friday. Police Colonel John Guiagui, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group - National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR), stated that the release was delayed because the Sandiganbayan's order was only received via email around 5 p.m. on Thursday. On Friday morning, CIDG-NCR personnel secured a certification from the Sandiganbayan confirming the release order. Authorities also cross-checked with other divisions to ensure Bonoan had no other pending cases that would prevent his release. "He's happy, he's happy that he's being released. He's waiting for his immediate family," Guiagui told reporters. Before his release, Bonoan's medical condition was assessed to determine his fitness to leave CIDG-NCR custody, as he is currently on medication. The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division recently granted the Ombudsman's motion to drop Bonoan from the plunder and graft charges involving former Senator Jinggoy Estrada. The court ruled that it was within the Ombudsman’s "prosecutorial discretion" to determine who would be used as a state witness. The Ombudsman had charged Bonoan and others with allegedly conspiring to amass over P500 million in kickbacks from flood control projects.