Former Philippine Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla was released from jail on Friday after posting a PHP1 million bail, following a ruling by the Sandiganbayan that the prosecution had failed to show that evidence of his guilt was strong enough to deny him provisional liberty.
The anti-graft court issued the 107-page resolution on Friday in connection with a malversation case involving an alleged PHP92.8 million flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.
Revilla had been detained at the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory since January along with several co-accused.
In its ruling, the Sandiganbayan said the prosecution failed to establish that “the evidence of his guilt is strong” with respect to the charge of malversation through falsification of public documents.
The court, however, denied the bail petitions of Revilla’s co-accused, including Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan First District engineers Brice Hernandez, Jaypee Mendoza, Emelita Juat and Arjay Domasig, as well as accountant Juanito Mendoza and cashier Christina Pineda.
Prosecutors alleged that between July 2024 and May 2025, Revilla and his co-accused conspired to facilitate the release of government funds for a flood control project that was never built, with at least PHP76.9 million reportedly disbursed to SYMS Construction Trading.
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Ombudsman expects this to happen
The news of Revilla walking free through posting bail did not shock Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla.
During his radio program “Executive Session” aired on Saturday, August 1, Remulla said that his office had expected the Sandiganbayan to grant bail to Revilla.
“We predicted this to happen. We knew about this. We expected that something would happen that would make it appear as though the matter had been worked out, including the granting of bail,” he said.
In line with this, Remulla said that he wants to talk to Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo, who is retiring in November, “so that his legacy will be okay, will be good.”
Revilla yet to pay PHP124mn in plunder case
Meanwhile, Ombudsman Remulla reminded the judiciary that the former senator is still yet to pay more than PHP124 million in civil liabilities from his acquittal in a plunder case.
Remulla was referring to the Sandiganbayan’s 2018 decision that acquitted Revilla of plunder but ordered him to pay PHP124.5 million in civil damages to the national treasury in relation to his alleged role in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam.
In the same case, Revilla’s co-accused, former chief of staff Richard Cambe and businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, were found guilty.
“It was included in his judgment of acquittal (in plunder) … and until now, the money has yet to be returned (to the government),” he was quoted as saying during his radio show by Inquirer.net.
He also emphasized the need for the judiciary, under the leadership of the Supreme Court, to ensure proper oversight of cases involving substantial civil liabilities, especially those that require the return of significant amounts of money to state coffers.
Revilla thanks God
In a Facebook post on Friday, Revilla was seen smiling from ear to ear in group pictures with his family, with a caption “God is good! Salamat po Panginoon (Thank you, Lord).”
Meanwhile, lawyer Rean Balisi, legal counsel and spokesperson for former Sen. Bong Revilla, told The Manila Times in a statement on Friday that Revilla had “from the beginning” placed his trust in the judicial system, adding that the court’s decision to grant him bail affirmed that “the evidence of guilt is not strong.”
Revilla will be spending his time with his family, Balisi added, after being detained for more than six months.
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