No arrest warrant yet for Estrada’s plunder rap due to court motions

MANILA, Philippines — As of Friday evening, the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division has yet to issue an arrest warrant for the non-bailable plunder, as well as graft case, against Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, former Department of Works and Highways (DPWH) chief Manuel Bonoan and three other officials.

The office of the Fifth Division clerk of court told reporters that this is due to the fact that there are pending motions before the anti-graft court division.

Earlier, Estrada’s counsel Atty. Noel Ostrea said they have filed an urgent motion to withdraw issuance of the warrant of arrest before the Sandiganbayan’s second and fifth divisions.

“We kind of understand that what we filed was extraordinary, but we hope that the justices of the Sandiganbayan will understand,” Ostrea said in an ambush interview.

Ostrea said that Estrada’s camp did not receive a copy of the Department of Justice’s resolution, as well as the Office of the Ombudsman’s information.

The DOJ resolution recommended the filing of criminal charges against Estrada and co-accused, prompting the Ombudsman to file the criminal complaints in the Sandiganbayan.

“So how are we expected to file a proper motion when we don’t even know the basis for the filing of these charges?” Ostrea asked. “In any case, we will bow to the supremacy of the Sandiganbayan.”

Aside from Estrada and Bonoan, the other respondents for the graft and plunder charge in the Fifth Division’s are ex-DPWH engineering officials from the National Capital Region.

They are DPWH Assistant District Engineer Denryl Caesar Cortuna; and District Engineers Manny Bulusan and Arturo Gonzales, Jr.

For its part, the anti-graft court’s Second Division issued a warrant of arrest for graft against Estrada and Bonoan.

Estrada and Bonoan have since posted a P90,000 bail since graft is a bailable case. /apl