Sen. Honasan surrenders, posts bail in Biñan City

Sen. Honasan posts bail in Biñan City (PNA Photo)

BIŇAN CITY, Laguna Aug. 11  — Senator Gringo Honasan voluntarily turned himself in Friday morning and was subsequently arrested by the Laguna cops at their headquarters here but immediately posted the Php 60,000 bail for the two counts of graft case at the Sandiganbayan.

The solon surrendered following the Sandiganbayan order to arrest him for charges of two counts of graft for alleged irregularities in the disbursement of Php 30 million from his pork barrel funds in 2012.

Honasan arrived at the police station at around 7 a.m. accompanied by his lawyer Atty Dennis Manalo.

He was met by Police Regional Office (PRO4A)-Calabarzon Regional Director Chief Superintendent Ma. O R. Aplasca, Laguna Provincial Police Director Senior Supt. Cecilio Ison Jr. and Biñan City chief of police Supt. Elpidio Ramirez.

Personnel from the PRO4A Crime Laboratory took the senator’s blood pressure, mug shots, fingerprints and buccal swab.

After the processing, Honasan’s group went to the office of Judge Teodoro Solis, Executive Judge of the Regional Trial Court Branch 25 in this city where he posted Php 60,000 bail for the two counts of graft.

Honasan maintained innocence saying: “All my life I have fought everything I am accused of, and I will continue to do so.”

Citing documents from June 2012, the Ombudsman said Honasan endorsed to the non-government organization Focus Development Goals Foundation Inc. for the fund releasebut allegdly failed to meet procurement requirements.

The budget department had released Honasan’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) as the implementing agency, for the disbursement to the NGO supposedly for livelihood projects for Muslim communities in Metro Manila and Zambales.

Aside from Honasan, the Sandiganbayan also ordered the arrest of his political affairs chief Michael Benjamin; NCMF Secretary Mehol Sadain; NCMF officials Fedelina Aldanese, Galay Makalinggan, Aurora Aragon-Mabang, and Olga Galido; and Focus Development Goals Foundation Inc. officers Giovannie Manuel Gaerlan and Salvador Gaerlan. (Roselle Aquino/PNA)