The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division on Thursday reset the arraignment of Senator Jinggoy Estrada and former Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan in connection with plunder and graft charges linked to the multibillion-peso flood control scandal.
The anti-graft court moved the arraignment to 30 June to allow it to first resolve the defendants' respective Urgent Omnibus Motions Ad Cautelam seeking the dismissal of the cases for alleged lack of sufficient basis.
Bonoan's camp also filed a petition for hospital arrest, citing his confinement in a private Metro Manila hospital due to health complications related to hypertension and diabetes.
During the hearing, Estrada's lawyers sought to fix bail for their client. However, the justices questioned the motion, noting that a petition for bail could only be considered after arraignment. The defense argued that proceeding with the arraignment first could render its motion to dismiss moot.
Asked which motion they wanted prioritized, Estrada's counsel, Atty. Laurence Arroyo, said the defense preferred that the Omnibus Motion be resolved first.
The court subsequently directed both the prosecution and defense to submit their respective responses to the pending motions before the arraignment proceeds.
Also present during the hearing were incumbent DPWH officials Denryl Caesar Cortuna, Manny Bulusan and Arturo Gonzales Jr., who were named as co-conspirators in the case. All three entered pleas of not guilty.
A not guilty plea formally informs the court that the accused denies the charges, requiring the prosecution to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt during trial.
Following the hearing, Estrada and his co-accused were escorted back to the New Quezon City Jail-Male Dormitory, where they have been detained since 1 June.
