THE Sandiganbayan has ordered the arrest of Senator Gregorio Honasan, who is facing graft charges in connection with the alleged anomalous use of his P30-million Priority Development Assistance Funds in 2012.
“The court finds that there is sufficient probable cause to hold the accused in this case for trial and issue a warrant of arrest against them,” the Sandiganbayan Second Division said.
Honasan is the fourth senator to be charged for misusing his PDAF or pork barrel allocation.
The others were former senators Ramon Revilla Jr., Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile, who were charged in 2014 with plunder and graft for allegedly pocketing kickbacks from the multi-billion-peso pork barrel scam masterminded by Janet Lim-Napoles.
Honasan professed his innocence.
“I am completely innocent of the charges against me,” he said in a statement.
“All my life I have fought everything I am accused of, and I will continue to do so,” said Honasan, a former army colonel who mounted several coup attempts against the administration of the late President Cory Aquino.
The Office of the Ombudsman filed two graft charges against Honasan for violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
The Ombudsman said the Department of Budget and Management released P30 million of Honasan’s PDAF, which was coursed through the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos as implementing agency in April 2012.
The funds was was intended to finance small and medium livelihood projects for Muslim Filipinos in communities in Metro Manila and Zambales.
Aside from Honasan, the the anti-graft court also ordered the arrest of Michael Benjamin, Political Affairs/Project Coordinator Chief of Honasan and former officials of the NCMF, namely Mehol Sadain, Fedelina Aldanese, Galay Makalinggan, Aurora Aragon-Mabang, and Olga Galido and officials of Focus Development Goals Foundation Inc., namely Giovanni Manuel Gaerlan and Salvador Gaerlan.
The anti-graft court said the accused may post bail at P30,000 for their temporary liberty.
It was learned that Sadain, Mabang, Galido, and Aldanese already posted bail.
Senator Richard Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, said he knows Honasan as “upright.”
“When you’re issued an arrest warrant, it doesn’t mean you’re guilty but that there is a probable cause. The court just wants you to be there to answer. I’m sure he will answer the charges in court,” Gordon said.