Beleaguered Senator Gregorio Honasan on Thursday said he is ready to confront charges that he “misused” some P30 million of the 2012 Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocated to members of the Senate.
“I am completely innocent of the charges against me,” Honasan said in a brief statement sent to Senate reporters upon learning the Second Division of the Sandiganbayan ordered his arrest after finding “sufficient probable cause” to detain him while being tried for alleged graft case filed last August 1 by the Office of the Ombudsman.
“All my life I have fought everything I am accused of and I will continue to do so,” the Senator added.
Honasan was expected to appear before the Sandiganbayan Thursday afternoon to post a P30,000 bail to skip jail, but it could not be confirmed if he has done so as of presstime.
Also facing arrest orders issued by the Sandiganbayan in connection with the case were Honasan’s co-accused, including his aide Michael Benjamin, Mehol Kiram Sadain, Fedelina Dimalanta, Olga Galido, Giovani Gaerlan and Salvador Gaerlan.
The Ombudsman built a case against the alleged misuse of P30 million released by the Department of Budget and Management for Honasan’s Priority Development Assistance Fund intended to finance small and medium enterprise livelihood projects to benefit Muslim communities in Zambales and the National Capital Region, with the National Council of Muslim Filipinos as implementing agency.