ACTING on a motion filed by one of the accused in a plunder case embarking on the so-called flood control scandal, the Sandiganbayan placed former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan under hospital arrest.
In a June 4 resolution that was released on Friday, the Sandiganbayan 5th Division ordered the confinement of 80-year old Bonoan confined at the Philippine National Police General Hospital inside Camp Crame, Quezon City.
While the Sandiganbayan caved in to Bonoan’s request, the anti-graft court declined the former DPWH Secretary’s request — that he be allowed to stay at The Medical City in Pasig City.
“The court partially grants accused Bonoan’s motion,” the resolution said. “In here, accused Bonoan has established that his detention in a regular jail facility would pose a real, imminent and irreparable danger to his life.”
SICKLY BONOAN
Based on a medical certificate dated May 29 issued by Bonoan’s personal physician, the former DPWH Secretary is suffering from Stage IV chronic renal disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, gouty arthritis, a spinal condition called spondylolisthesis, and prostate cancer.
Another medical certificate dated June 1 claimed Bonoan is suffering from hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease (Stage 4), electrolyte imbalance, and severe coronary artery disease with stenosis and probable thrombus formation in his coronary arteries, and heart enlargement.
According to Bonoan’s lawyers, the medical findings are more than enough proof that the safety of the 80-year old accused could be compromised if placed in a regular jail even as they claimed that the former secretary’s situation would require continuous clinical monitoring and immediate access to specialized emergency care.
The Medical City, the lawyers insisted, has the specialized equipment and advanced facilities for their client’s condition.
FLIGHT RISK
In justifying their motion, the lawyers said that Bonoan could no longer be considered a flight risk, adding that he voluntarily returned to the country from the United States in January to attend the Senate blue ribbon committee hearings on the corruption scandal.
The Office of the Ombudsman opposed the motion, even as they described Bonoan’s justifications for hospital arrest as “insufficient and questionable.”
The Ombudsman also expressed doubt on the veracity of the medical certificates for being mere “unauthenticated photographs rather than an original or photocopy.”
The state prosecutors also assailed Bonoan’s lawyers whose concerns over the inadequacy of nearby government hospitals were “purely speculative because he failed to name any specific hospital or provide evidence that they indeed lack the specialized equipment and treatment he requires.”
FAIR DEAL
However, the Sandiganbayan finds it rather prudent to consider concerns from both parties by striking a ruling that would suffice Bonoan’s motion that he be confined at the Medical City in Pasig City and that of the Ombudsman’s objection.
“While the Prosecution argues that the medical certificates submitted by the defense are unauthenticated photographs of medical certificates, the medical findings therein are something that the court cannot ignore to prevent an irreversible incident.”
The Sandiganbayan also acknowledged Bonoan’s voluntary return to the country and his submission to the court’s jurisdiction when he was issued an arrest warrant.
“These overt acts reflect the accused’s respect for the legal processes and willingness to face the charges against him,” it said.
Bonoan is facing plunder and graft charges along with Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and three other former officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways for allegedly receiving P573 million in kickbacks through the manipulation of the public works budget in 2025.
