The Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) on Tuesday, June 30, said it accepted former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan as a state witness because his testimony is expected to strengthen its case against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez over alleged irregularities in the national budget.

During a press briefing, Assistant Ombudsman Jose Dominic “Mico” Clavano IV said the Ombudsman accepted Bonoan as a state witness because his cooperation is expected to help strengthen its case against Romualdez, dismissing allegations that the anti-graft body was selectively targeting certain public officials.

“Iyon po ang gusto nating ipaliwanag. This whole rally today comes from the context na sinasabi nila na baka we are pinpointing or targeting certain people only. Hindi po totoo ’yan dahil ang kaso po ni former Speaker Martin Romualdez is getting stronger by the day (That is what we want to explain. This whole rally today stems from claims that we are pinpointing or targeting only certain people. That is not true because our case against former Speaker Martin Romualdez is getting stronger by the day),” he said.

Bonoan’s willingness to cooperate, Clavano said, was the primary reason the Ombudsman decided to accept him as a state witness.

“The reason why we accepted si former Secretary Manny Bonoan as a state witness is precisely because ’yung kanyang intention to cooperate with us is for that case specifically (The reason why we accepted former Secretary Manny Bonoan as a state witness is precisely because his intention to cooperate with us is for that particular case),” he noted.

According to Clavano, Bonoan was in a unique position to provide firsthand information because he was directly involved in the DPWH’s budget process during the period under investigation.

“’Yung budgetary process po, ’yung budget po ng DPWH, budget po ni former Sec. Bonoan, ’yon po ang kinalikot na budget ng House leadership at that time. Ang corruption po kasi, hindi mo puwede i-penetrate galing sa labas. Kailangan mayroon kang insider sa loob. It was a tough decision for the Office to arrive at that, na i-accept namin si former Secretary Bonoan as a state witness (The DPWH budget and former Secretary Bonoan’s budget were among those allegedly manipulated by the House leadership at that time. Corruption cannot be penetrated from the outside. You need an insider. It was a tough decision for the Office to accept former Secretary Bonoan as a state witness),” he said.

Clavano said the OMB carefully weighed its decision before granting Bonoan immunity, taking into account his age, health, and the value of his testimony.

“Mahirap pong desisyon and there were a lot of considerations that had to go into that decision. Isa na doon ’yung age, illnesses, all of that. Kung na-convict si former Secretary Bonoan for 40 years, sa tingin po ba he will last until 120 years old sa loob ng kulungan? That was one consideration (It was a difficult decision and many factors had to be considered. One of them was his age, illnesses, and all of that. If former Secretary Bonoan were convicted and sentenced to 40 years, do you think he would live to be 120 years old in prison? That was one consideration),” he said.

He stressed, however, that the Ombudsman’s authority to grant immunity is intended to obtain crucial testimony, not to shield guilty individuals from prosecution.

“Pangalawa po, itong batas natin that will afford the Ombudsman plenary powers to afford immunity to somebody, that is not meant to protect the guilty, but to reward the cooperation of somebody who knows a lot. Kaya po namin ginamit ’yan (Second, the law gives the Ombudsman plenary powers to grant immunity to someone. That is not meant to protect the guilty, but to reward the cooperation of someone who knows a great deal. That is why we exercised that authority),”  said Clavano.

He said the Ombudsman determined that Bonoan’s testimony could help establish accountability in what it considers a far more significant case.

“And between the two, you have someone who was charged already with plunder, and you have another case that would change the history of the Philippines because we are trying to exact accountability on one of the biggest heists on our budget, we would rather go for the bigger case than have him rot in jail for how many years, dahil meron siyang maibubuga, he was in the room. Siya mismo ang nandoon, kumakausap sa mga congressman, cabinet secretaries (Between the two, you have someone who has already been charged with plunder, and you have another case that would change the history of the Philippines because we are trying to exact accountability for what we believe is one of the biggest heists involving the national budget. We would rather pursue the bigger case than have him spend years in jail because he has valuable information. He was in the room. He personally spoke with congressmen and Cabinet secretaries),” Clavano said.

“That was a unique position that he was in, and if he was willing to cooperate, we’re willing to see what he has to say para mapalakas ang ating kaso laban kay former House Speaker Martin Romualdez (That was the unique position he was in, and if he was willing to cooperate, we are willing to hear what he has to say to strengthen our case against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez),” he went on. 

On May 26, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla disclosed that the OMB was building what he called the “grandest case of them all” against Romualdez in connection with an alleged conspiracy involving the national budget.

He said the Ombudsman was preparing several cases against Romualdez, including an alleged money laundering complaint and a broader case involving the alleged defrauding of the National Treasury through the budget process.