Bonoan files counter-affidavit on plunder complaint

Former Department of Public Works and Highways secretary Manuel Bonoan on Monday filed his counter-affidavit on the plunder complaint against him at the Department of Justice (DOJ).

“We submitted a counter-affidavit,” Bonoan said in an ambush interview.

Other respondents in the plunder complaint include Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada, former DPWH undersecretaries Maria Catalina Cabral and Roberto Bernardo, former DPWH regional director Gerard Opulencia, and former district engineer Henry Alcantara.

According to DOJ spokesperson Atty. Polo Martinez, the plunder complaint is not confined to a single project or locality. Instead, it covers allegations of the acquisition of ill-gotten wealth amounting to more than P50 million, allegedly obtained through a combination or series of transactions.

Return to US

Bonoan affirmed that he is planning to leave for the United States. He said he did not know yet when he would leave.

“Ayan nakapag paalam na (I already asked),” he said.

When asked if the Justice Department agreed, Bonoan nodded and said, “yeah.”

An Immigration Lookout Bulletin Order has been issued against the former DPWH head.

When asked if the DOJ gave Bonoan permission, Justice spokesperson Polo Martinez said that the department does not have the capacity to grant or restrict the travel of respondents.

“Travel by respondents can only be restricted by the courts,” he said.

Despite this, he said that the DOJ may take this as a gesture of good faith.

“If at all, the Department just takes it as his gesture of good faith. Wala po siyang legal nor procedural bearing,” said Martinez.

To recall, Bonoan left for the United States via Taiwan in November 2025 to accompany his wife, who will undergo a medical procedure.

He returned to the Philippines on January 18, 2026. He has previously denied receiving over P2 billion in kickbacks from government projects. 

During the last preliminary investigation on his plunder complaint, Bonoan said that he was still waiting for the schedule of his wife’s operation.

The next preliminary hearing is on February 23, Monday. —AOL, GMA Integrated News