Romualdez’s lawyer says Bonoan drop from plunder case ‘alarming’

MANILA, Philippines — The dropping of plunder charges against former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan is alarming as it appears he is being prepared as a potential witness against Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez despite the absence of an initial testimony, the lawmaker’s lawyer said on Friday.

In a statement, Fajardo reiterated that Bonoan never mentioned anything about Romualdez being involved in the alleged budget insertions in the 2025 national budget and the anomalous infrastructure projects—from the congressional inquiries and the investigation done by the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI).

“Nang magsimula itong reklamo ng special panel against Congressman Romualdez, wala pong anumang salaysay doon, wala po man lang kahit ni isang taga-DPWH, ni isang statement from Secretary Bonoan, kahit doon sa Blue Ribbon Committee, kahit doon sa Independent Commission for Infrastructure, wala pong nag-uugnay kay Congressman Romualdez,” Fajardo said.

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(When this complaint was initiated by the special panel against Congressman Romualdez, there was no statement there, not even one statement from a DPWH personnel or Secretary Bonoan, even during the Blue Ribbon Committee or at the Independent Commission for Infrastructure, there is nothing that links to Congressman Romualdez.)

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“Ibig sabihin, wala silang makita na partikular na DPWH project kung saan nag-participate o allegedly nag-impluwensiya si Congressman Romualdez para maapektuhan ang resulta, para manalo ang isang partikular na contractor. Walang ganung alegasyon kaya nakakagulat na si Secretary Bonoan all of a sudden is now available as a potential witness,” he added.

(This means they cannot see anything particular to a DPWH project where Congressman Romualdez participated or allegedly influenced the bidding process to favor a specific contractor. There is no such allegation; that’s why it is surprising that Secretary Bonoan all of a sudden is now available as a potential witness.)

Fajardo said that this background makes the Sandiganbayan’s decision to drop the plunder raps and release Bonoan alarming and shocking.

“Iyang naging desisyon po ay alarming at nakakagulat, ‘yan po ay nakakabahala,” Fajardo said.

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(That decision is alarming and shocking, it raises concerns.)

“And then suddenly, malaya na siya at granted ang immunity practically kasi hindi na siya akusado,” he added.

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(And then suddenly, he is free and granted immunity practically because he is no longer an accused.)

On Thursday, the Sandiganbayan Fifth Division ordered Bonoan’s release, recalling an order to commit Bonoan to hospital arrest at the Philippine National Police General Hospital (PNPGH) in Camp Crame.

Bonoan had been under hospital arrest since June 2026 at the PNPGH in Camp Crame due to several illnesses.

The Fifth Division’s move means that it has granted a motion made orally by Bonoan’s lawyer Stefanie Ong, during the hearing on Thursday.

READ: Sandiganbayan orders release of ex-DPWH chief Manuel Bonoan

This came two days after the court granted a motion by state prosecutors to exclude Bonoan from the graft and plunder charges against him, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, and three former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) district engineers.

READ: Sandiganbayan drops graft, plunder charges vs Bonoan

This is not the first time that Romualdez’s camp has made accusations about Bonoan being forced to produce evidence against the lawmaker, who was Speaker of the House during the 19th Congress and the early part of the 20th Congress.

Last August 6, Fajardo said they believe Bonoan really has nothing to say but is being placed in a precarious position when investigators suddenly claim that the former DPWH chief will be a key witness against Romualdez.

Fajardo did not mention who thought of having Bonoan as a state witness, but last June 30, Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano admitted that the decision to tap the former secretary as state witness was made in order to strengthen their case against Romualdez.

READ: Bonoan being forced to produce evidence against Romualdez — lawyer

Prior to his, Fajardo said Bonoan may be under pressure to testify regarding the infrastructure corruption scandal when a transfer to an ordinary jail facility was looming.

Romualdez has been accused of facilitating budget insertions to implement anomalous infrastructure programs and receiving kickbacks from these projects. However, the lawmaker and his legal team have insisted that he is not involved in any wrongdoing, saying several times that as Speaker, he does not have control over every step of the budget-making process in Congress.

Eventually, several witnesses like Orly Guteza and some of the 18 former security aides of ex-Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Elizaldy Co—who initially claimed that they were involved in a money-delivery scheme—recanted their statements.

For Guteza, he claimed that it was the idea of Senator Rodante Marcoleta and former Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor to fabricate a story, saying in an affidavit dated August 13 that he had no personal knowledge of the alleged delivery of “maleta” (suitcases) containing cash at Co’s Pasig residence, as well as the alleged delivery to Romualdez’s residence in Taguig.

Early this August, four of the 18 former Co bodyguards claimed in a report aired by GMA’s 24 Oras that they signed the joint affidavit because they had allegedly been promised financial assistance.

They were referring to the affidavit that they signed and presented during a February 24, 2026 press briefing along with Baligod, who was their lawyer. The 18 bodyguards made the same claims as Guteza—claiming that they were involved in the delivery of cash from Co to different lawmakers.

Romualdez used these recantations to bolster his claim that the charges against him should be dropped. Last August 20, Romualdez’s camp submitted a supplemental counter affidavit to the Office of the Ombudsman, citing the recantations and the sworn statements of 25 of Co’s former drivers and security aides as reasons to junk the complaints against him.

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Furthermore, the supplemental counter-affidavit that Romualdez submitted stated that some of Co’s 25 former security aides were initially asked by lawyer Levito Baligod to join the cause of the ‘18 bodyguards’ in exchange for financial benefit. /cb