Sandiganbayan denies Bong's bid to stop 'pork' case hearings

MANILA, Philippines - The Sandiganbayan on Thursday denied Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.'s petition to suspend hearings on the plunder case pending the request of the Office of the Ombudsman to create a special division to handle the pork barrel cases.

The anti-graft court's First Division, chaired by Associate Justice Efren dela Cruz, said that it will proceed with the hearings unless halted by the Supreme Court.

"Unless the Court is restrained by the Supreme Court, we will proceed," Dela Cruz said during the hearing.

The anti-graft court, meanwhile, did not rule on Revilla's other motion, asking for the judicial determination of probable cause of the plunder case filed against him by the Ombudsman in connection with the P10-billion pork barrel fund scam.

During the oral arguments, lawyer Joel Bodegon insisted that the anti-graft court should suspend the proceedings because of the "intervening event" where the Ombudsman requested the High Tribunal to create a special division to handle the plunder and graft cases regarding the pork barrel scam.

Bogedon also wanted to suspend the hearing at the Sandiganbayan, pending their case before the Regional Trial Court of Bacoor City, questioning the authenticity of the documents implicating Revilla to the multi-billion peso pork barrel scam.

He maintained that his clients signatures on the documents were forged.

The First Division, meanwhile, said that it may soon issue a decision whether there is probable cause to proceed with the plunder case filed against Revilla.

"After hearing the oral arguments of the parties, the Court will determine the existence of probable cause of these cases based on the rules of court and existing jurisprudence," said the division.

Revilla's camp earlier filed motions for judicial determination of probable cause and deferment or suspension of the plunder case filed against the senator.

In his motion, Revilla argued that he was not furnished with the counter-affidavits of the 19 respondents during the preliminary investigation conducted by the Ombudsman regarding the pork barrel scam.

During oral arguments, Bodegon maintained that the Revilla camp should be given time to look over and examine the allegations.

Bodegon insisted that the senator should have been given the right to answer or use the allegations in the documents to his favor.

Government prosecutors, meanwhile, argued that only six counter-affidavits were furnished to the Revilla camp because these are the ones that contained allegations that implicate the senator in the scam.

Meanwhile, the First Division gave state prosecutors five days to file their opposition to the motion to consolidate the cases against Revilla and his chief of staff Richard Cambe.

The lawyers were also given five days to answer or reply to the prosecutors opposition.

Also charged for plunder in two other divisions of the anti-graft court were Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada.

All three senators have assured that they will not resist if they are ordered arrested by the Sandiganbayan. The senators' detention cells at the Philippine National Police's Holding Center have already been prepared.