No VIP treatment for ex-DPWH chief while under close monitoring – PNP (original) (raw)
Former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan is assisted in a wheelchair provided by court personnel upon his arrival at the Sandiganbayan in Quezon City on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. (INQUIRER / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) maintained that former Public Works and Highways secretary Manuel Bonoan will not be given VIP treatment while undergoing treatment at the agency’s hospital in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Bonoan, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, and three DPWH National Capital Region officials were ordered arrested by the Sandiganbayan last Monday over plunder cases in connection with the flood control corruption scandal.
“We are closely monitoring his health condition, and as soon as he is medically cleared, he will be turned over immediately to the proper judicial authorities,” PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement on Wednesday morning.
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“I have directed the PNP Health Service and the CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) to maintain full transparency, enforce tight security, and ensure that no special or VIP treatment is extended,” he added.
READ: Ex-DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan back in PNP General Hospital
Bonoan surrendered to the CIDG also in Camp Crame last Monday, but, while undergoing booking procedures, his blood pressure jumped to 192/100, according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla.
The ex-DPWH chief was brought to the PNP General Hospital and spent Monday night there.
After his blood pressure normalized on Tuesday afternoon, he was brought to the Sandiganbayan, but his lawyer Edward Ong said he could not be arraigned due to his medical condition.
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Further, after medical personnel at the Sandiganbayan found Bonoan’s blood pressure had increased again, he was brought back to the PNP General Hospital.
Nartatez said the PNP Health Service will conduct an independent medical assessment of Bonoan’s condition, while the CIDG will maintain complete records of his confinement, treatment, and movements while under police custody.
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“These measures are intended to demonstrate that all persons under its custody are subject to the same standards regardless of status or position while ensuring that necessary medical care is provided in accordance with established procedures,” the PNP chief added.
Estrada and their three co-accused have since been committed to the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas, where they were placed with the general population, according to the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology. /gsg
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