TACLOBAN CITY — A lawyer has urged the government to carefully assess whether former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Manuel Bonoan can provide substantial and credible testimony before considering granting him state witness status in the ongoing investigation into alleged flood control anomalies.
Lawyer Jose Roy said authorities should first determine the value of Bonoan’s potential testimony and whether it would significantly strengthen the government’s case before offering him state witness status.
“The government must first establish what information he can provide and whether his testimony will materially contribute to the investigation,” Roy said.
He also noted Bonoan’s advanced age, saying the former public works chief is already over 80 years old and that this should be taken into account when evaluating the reliability and motivation behind any testimony he may give.
Roy said that without a clear determination that Bonoan’s testimony is both credible and essential, there would be no sufficient legal basis for admitting him as a state witness.
His remarks came amid reports that the government is considering tapping Bonoan as a state witness in its investigation into alleged irregularities involving flood control projects.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
