Revilla faces plunder, malversation charges

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said his office is looking at filing malversation and plunder charges against former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and 10 others, following the recommendation of the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) in connection with their alleged involvement in the flood control anomalies.

In a television interview Monday, Remulla said the Ombudsman is taking the necessary actions, with some cases now under preliminary investigation.

Asked what charges Revilla might face, Remulla was candid: “Most of it will be, I think malversation will be the predicate crime, possible plunder. It’s something that is going on right now. I don’t know what stage the preliminary investigation is in,” he said in English and Filipino.

The allegations stem partly from the testimony of former Department of Public Works and Highways undersecretary Roberto Bernardo who claimed he delivered P125 million in cardboard boxes to Revilla’s residence in December 2024 — each box containing P20 million, plus a paper bag holding P5 million.

Remulla said he believes the evidence is strong and Bernardo’s testimony is just one piece of the legal puzzle the Ombudsman is exploring.

“Our people are actively reinforcing our legal theories, but I cannot tell you everything. It’s not our job to tell you everything within our power because we are fighting lawyers also, so we don’t want to telegraph our punches,” he said.

The Ombudsman acknowledged that going after Revilla could strain their personal and political ties. Both hail from Cavite and their families’ political histories are intertwined.

“Our family’s political interest can suffer a bit. We don’t know if it will damage us or not, but our relationship will suffer. Our children know each other, they work with each other… this is a bit hard, but this is my job,” Remulla said.

In addition to the ICI’s recommendation, Revilla, along with former representative Zaldy Co, was named an additional respondent in the flood control complaints filed before the Department of Justice.

On Saturday, Revilla took to Facebook to deny the allegations, claiming his name was being used to twist the truth.

“I am an easy target, being used to muddle the truth, but the truth will always come out. I have lived my life facing all challenges thrown my way. I did not run, I did not hide. I did not back down then, and I will not back down now. And because the truth is on my side, I will face this with complete courage and conviction,” he said.

Years ago, Revilla was detained and charged with plunder over his alleged involvement in the P10-billion pork barrel scam masterminded by Janet Lim Napoles, but he was cleared by the Sandiganbayan, which cited insufficient evidence that he received kickbacks.