A youth group on Thursday criticized the Office of the Ombudsman’s plan to turn former Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan into a state witness in its flood control corruption investigation, saying the move rewards wrongdoing instead of holding officials fully accountable.

In a statement, Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) opposed Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla’s plan to use Bonoan’s testimony to strengthen cases against other officials allegedly involved in the multibillion-peso scandal.

The group argued that testimonies previously provided by former Department of Public Works and Highways officials Henry Alcantara and Brice Hernandez were already sufficient to establish the alleged anomalies.

“By allowing Bonoan to become a state witness, the Ombudsman is awarding bad behavior and shifting the blame from President Marcos and his administration in their role regarding widespread plunder and fraud,” SPARK said.

The group also questioned what it described as Bonoan’s “special treatment,” noting that he was placed under hospital arrest while facing plunder and graft charges.

“It was already unacceptable that Bonoan be given special treatment in Camp Crame... now he also stands to get off basically scot-free so long as he cooperates with the Ombudsman,” SPARK said.

The organization further argued that delays in filing corruption cases against public officials reflected a weak anti-corruption campaign and called for those responsible for the alleged anomalies to face the full extent of the law.

Remulla and Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano have said Bonoan’s testimony is crucial because of his firsthand knowledge of how the alleged scheme operated, including discussions on budget insertions, kickbacks and percentage allocations.