‘Bong Revilla may run for Senate again in 2019’

Plunder case up for resolution

MANILA, Philippines — Another former senator facing plunder charges for allegedly benefitting from the misuse of hundreds of millions in pork barrel funds may seek a senatorial comeback in next year’s elections.

Surigao del Sur Rep. Propero Pichay Jr. told reporters yesterday that he and some colleagues from Lakas recently visited detained ex-senator Ramon Revilla Jr. at Camp Crame to convince him to seek a Senate seat again.

“He asked us to give him until next week, when he celebrates his birthday, to make a decision. He told us he would have to consult his family first,” Pichay said.

Pichay claimed to have a “private survey” showing Revilla landing in the seventh slot in the winning circle of 12 senatorial aspirants.

He said the detained senator also talked of the difficulty of doing an election campaign in jail.

He said they responded by telling Revilla that his party mates, members of his family, supporters, and friends would campaign for him.

Revilla is Lakas chairman. The party’s president is former Leyte congressman Martin Romualdez.

Aside from Revilla, former senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada are facing plunder and graft charges for the alleged misuse of their pork barrel funds, from which they supposedly benefitted financially. They have denied the charges.

Charged with them are their senior aides and Janet Lim Napoles, the alleged mastermind of the multi-billion-peso pork barrel scam.

Estrada and Enrile are out on bail. Estrada is planning to run for senator again. He has been going around the country. 

Submitted

The public might see the first pork barrel scam-related case resolved by the Sandiganbayan before Christmas. 

The anti-graft court’s First Division confirmed that the plunder case against Revilla was already submitted for resolution last week.

In an interview with reporters, First Division clerk of court Estela Teresita Rosete said the case is up for decision by the three justices of the First Division after both the defense and prosecution teams submitted their respective memoranda, containing the summary of their arguments as well as the testimonial and documentary evidence they presented in the course of the trial.

Court records show that Revilla, his former aide Richard Cambe and businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles submitted their respective memoranda on Sept. 10.

The Office of the Ombudsman’s prosecution panel submitted its memorandum on Sept. 11. 

Rosete said the court has yet to set the tentative date of the promulgation, wherein the court’s verdict will be read aloud in front of Revilla. 

Filed by the ombudsman in June 2014, the plunder case against Revilla stemmed from the alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel during his term as a senator for supposed fictitious or “ghost” livelihood projects. 

The ombudsman said Revilla, through Cambe, received from Napoles a total of P224.5 million in kickbacks or commissions in exchange for the allocation of his PDAF to the latter’s bogus non-government organizations.