MANILA, Philippines — Former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan testified at the Sandiganbayan on Tuesday that Senator Jinggoy Estrada was linked to ₱7.4 billion in congressional initiatives under the 2025 national budget.
Bonoan took the stand as a witness during the anti-graft court’s bail hearing for Estrada, who is currently facing a ₱573-million plunder charge connected to an alleged flood control kickback scheme. The senator is actively seeking the court’s approval for bail.
During the proceedings, Bonoan stated that former Public Works Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo initially approached him with a ₱1 billion project list for the 2025 budget.
According to Bonoan, the list started at ₱500 million following a recommendation by the late former Undersecretary Catalina Cabral, before Bernardo requested an additional ₱500 million.
Explaining the expansion, Bonoan stated:
”After the inclusion of ₱500 million, Usec. Bernardo requested additional ₱500 million since Senator Estrada is already Senate President Pro Tempore.”
However, Bonoan clarified that Estrada never approached him directly to make the request, and the project documentation did not bear the lawmaker’s signature. His statements regarding Estrada’s involvement relied entirely on information relayed to him by Bernardo.
The former department head added that the ₱1 billion request fell under an informal Senate leadership fund, which operated as an ad hoc allocation devoid of formal written guidelines.
He further claimed that Estrada had separately sought roughly ₱1 billion from this specific fund, out of which ₱700 million received approval, alleging that a portion of it was meant for election expenses.
Estrada vehemently denied the claim regarding election costs, pointing out that he was not running for reelection in 2025.
Meanwhile, Estrada’s defense lawyer, Atty. Lawrence Arroyo, formally objected to the inclusion of these monetary figures in Bonoan’s written statement. He argued that the amounts exceeded the approximately ₱2 billion scope outlined in the amended information.
Special Prosecutor Reza Derayunan countered that the figures remained relevant as part of Estrada’s 2025 congressional initiatives. Associate Justice Zaldy Trespeses ultimately allowed the testimony to stay on record, noting that the court would evaluate its legal weight during the ongoing bail proceedings.