Sandigan orders arrest of Revilla, 6 others

Sandigan orders arrest of Revilla, 6 others | Daily Tribune

An arrest warrant and a hold departure order (HDO) were issued by the Sandiganbayan against former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and six others facing malversation charges in connection with the alleged P92.8-million ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.

Lawyer Dennis Pulma, clerk of court of the Sandiganbayan Third Division, which handles the malversation cases, confirmed the issuance of the arrest warrants and the hold departure order.

Pulma said, “There are findings of probable cause. The warrants of arrest and hold departure orders were already issued by the court.”

Pulma added that the electronic warrants were transmitted to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) of the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI).

The warrant issued by the Sandiganbayan also covers the following respondents: former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Bulacan First District Engineering Office (DEO) assistant district engineer Brice Hernandez; former DPWH Bulacan First DEO engineers Jaypee Mendoza, Arjay Domasig and Emelita Juat; former DPWH Bulacan First DEO finance section chief Juanito Mendoza; and former DPWH Bulacan First DEO cashier Christina Pineda.

The cases against Revilla and the six former DPWH officials were raffled Monday to the Sandiganbayan’s Third and Fourth divisions. The anti-graft court conducted a special raffle for the cases filed against Revilla and his co-accused.

The Sandiganbayan Third Division is chaired by Associate Justice Karl Miranda, with Associate Justices Ronald Moreno and Fritz delos Santos as members.

The Sandiganbayan Fourth Division is chaired by Associate Justice Michael Musngi, with Associate Justices Arthur Malabaguio and Ermin Ernest Miguel as members.

Prosecutors alleged the respondents conspired to facilitate the release of about P76 million for the supposed construction of a flood control project in Purok 5, Barangay Bunsuran, Pandi, Bulacan. However, the project was never implemented, based on official inspection and witness accounts.

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said Friday that despite the absence of any actual construction, the respondents declared the project completed and facilitated the release of the entire project cost.

Clavano said the respondents falsified accomplishment reports, issued fraudulent billing documents and endorsed disbursement vouchers.

He said the P92.8 million project was awarded to the contractor on 28 March 2025, when Revilla was still a senator.

Former Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara, prior to the filing of charges against Revilla, testified before a Senate inquiry that then-DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo asked him to set aside a P30 million cut for then-senator Revilla for a P300 million project.

Alcantara told the same Senate inquiry that Bernardo also asked him to add project proponents, given the huge allocation given to the Bulacan DEO.

Bernardo, during the Senate inquiry, said he gave Revilla a list of projects in 2024 and that Revilla asked for a “commitment” fee pegged at 25 percent of the project cost.

Bernardo also said Alcantara then collected the 25 percent commitment, or about P125 million, which was delivered to Revilla’s house in Cavite.

Revilla denied Bernardo’s allegation that he received 25 percent worth of commissions off flood control projects.

On 15 January, the Department of Justice listed Alcantara and Bernardo as state witnesses in the flood control cases.