The Manila Times
FORMER Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel Bonoan denied the alleged delivery of 55 boxes allegedly meant for him. In a statement on Friday, Bonoan said Garcia “made uncorroborated statements against me regarding the alleged deliveries.” Bonoan described the testimony as false. “I categorically and vehemently deny and have no knowledge whatsoever regarding these vague and unfounded allegations. In the first place, let it be of record that I am not involved in any manner as regards the subject case of the former senator Revilla Jr.,” Bonoan said. Bonoan said “in the absence of specific details surrounding his accusations or corroborating evidence to support his allegations, Garcia’s statements are mere hearsay.” On Thursday, Vergel Niño Garcia testified before the Sandiganbayan Third Division that he was a former driver of state witness and former DPWH undersecretary Roberto Bernardo. Garcia testified that there was a delivery of the following to Bonoan: 15 sealed boxes allegedly taken by a then-driver of Bonoan in November 2024; 20 boxes in 2025; and 20 boxes allegedly taken by the said then-driver of Bonoan in Quezon City. Garcia, who also testified on the alleged delivery of boxes allegedly meant for several other people, was testifying before the court as a prosecution witness in the bail hearing in the malversation through falsification case filed against former senator Bong Revilla and other people. The Office of the Ombudsman filed the case before the Sandiganbayan in January 2026 in connection with the alleged ghost project in Pandi, Bulacan. Bonoan is not an accused. Garcia, who did not see the contents of the alleged boxes, testified that he learned about the alleged contents only during an investigation of the flood control mess. On Thursday afternoon, the prosecution presented Francisco Dela Fuente Jr. as witness. “Our reaction? Is it believable? To us, no,” Reody Anthony Balisi, Revilla’s lawyer, said in Filipino and English in an interview on Thursday. “If you will notice and if you listened carefully, they did not attach proof in their sworn statements,” Balisi said. Revilla’s camp has said that Revilla had no hand in the project in Pandi, whether it was a ghost project or not. Balisi said in the interview on Thursday that for the defense, the two testimonies were not relevant. “If you will notice, in all that they (witnesses) said, and this was not denied by the prosecution, NCR projects were what was being discussed..... That was clear. So we just wanted to point out, why are we still talking about this here?” he said. Balisi said that the defense’s position has always been that “there is no evidence linking him (Revilla) to this project.” The other accused were Brice Hernandez, Juanito Mendoza, Arjay Domasig, Emelita Juat, Christina Mae Pineda, and Jaypee Mendoza. The accused, except Jaypee Mendoza, seek bail. Revilla refused to enter a plea during his arraignment in February but the Sandiganbayan Third Division entered a not guilty plea for him. Juanito Mendoza, Hernandez, Jaypee Mendoza, Domasig, Juat, and Pineda pleaded not guilty to the charge.
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