Metro Manila, Philippines – Former Sen. Bong Revilla is back in detention, this time at the New Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory, for a non-bailable malversation case over his supposed links to the multibillion-peso flood control corruption scandal.
On Tuesday, Jan. 20, the Sandiganbayan 3rd Division issued the detention order pending action on his motion to transfer at the Philippine National Police custodial facility at Camp Crame in Quezon City.
The court set the hearing for the appeal on Friday, Jan. 23, the same day for the pre-trial and arraignment in the alleged P92.8 million non-existent project in Pandi, Bulacan.
In an interview, Francesca Señga, Revilla’s lawyer said his client’s appeal for transfer to Camp Crame was for security concerns.
“There have been a lot of gang-related activities in certain confinements that if he will be placed there without the proper protection, he will be placed at high risk,” she said.
On the other hand, the court cited a letter from PLTGen Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., acting Philippine National Police chief, that asked the Sandiganbayan to reconsider the further issuance of a commitment order to the custodial center.
Sandiganbayan 3rd division chairperson and Associate Justice Karl Miranda cited Nartatez saying the PNP facility currently caters to high profile inmates accused of heinous crimes. He added that “it is not a long-term facility which can accommodate large numbers of detainees.”
The court also said it “does not want the court nor the public” to have an impression that it is giving a special privilege to the former senator.
In a statement, the Bureau of Jail Management of Penology (BJMP) said “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.”
BJMP spokesperson Jayrex Butinera told NewsWatch Plus that Revilla will share the room with other detainees once the mandatory quarantine is over.
Meanwhile, Revilla’s counsel said the former lawmaker has posted a P90,000 bail with the Sandiganbayan 4th division for his graft charge.
Revilla was detained for four years at the PNP custodial center for his plunder charges in relation to the outlawed priority development assistance fund or the pork barrel scam.
He was cleared of plunder and released in 2018 and graft in 2021.
In a related development, Revilla’s four co-accused were also brought to the New Quezon City Jail, namely former DPWH Bulacan engineers Brice Hernandez, Jaypee Mendoza, and Arjay Domasig, and accountant Juanito Mendoza
Authorities said they arrested another accused, Cristina Pineda, in Benguet, while engineer Emelita Juat is at large.
