FORMER Senator Ramon “Bong” B. Revilla, Jr. was committed to the Quezon City (QC) Jail-Male Dormitory in Payatas on Tuesday, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), following a directive from the Sandiganbayan involving a non-bailable malversation charge.
The DILG and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said in a statement that Mr. Revilla arrived at the facility at approximately 2:28 p.m. on Tuesday. The transfer was executed pursuant to a commitment order issued by the anti-graft court’s Third Division, which directed his transfer to the custody of the jail bureau.
The case centers on an alleged P92.8-million “ghost” flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan filed by the Office of the Ombudsman last week. While Mr. Revilla posted a P90,000 bail for a separate graft charge earlier on Tuesday, the malversation charge — involving the falsification of public documents — remains non-bailable, necessitating his detention.
“The DILG and the BJMP assure the public that Revilla is being accorded the same treatment, security measures, and jail management protocols as all other persons deprived of liberty, in strict adherence to existing laws, rules, and regulations,” the agencies said.
Meanwhile, Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. is “saddened” by the arrest of Mr. Revilla, his political ally, but underscored the importance of due process.
“He said he feels saddened because he was with him in the Alyansa and counts Senator Revilla as a friend, but nonetheless, due process must still prevail,” she told reporters in Filipino. “This has to be done because there is a process for him to be held accountable for what happened,” she added.
Meanwhile, authorities separately arrested one of the co-accused of Mr. Revilla in Benguet early on Tuesday.
The Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) said the suspect, Christina Mae del Rosario Pineda, who was visiting the province, was arrested at around 12:40 a.m. along Halsema Highway in Bangao, Buguias, Benguet.
The 38-year-old Ms. Pineda works as a cashier at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan First District Engineering Office.
The CIDG Mountain Province unit coordinated with CIDG Cordillera for her arrest. She was later transported to Region 3 at about 5 a.m. also on Tuesday.
Mr. Revilla and six others, including Ms. Pineda, are facing malversation charges over an alleged irregularity in a flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan. The Sandiganbayan Third Division issued her warrant of arrest last Jan. 19. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking and Artemio A. Dumlao
