Revilla posts P90K bail in graft case, but remains jailed over malversation

Former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. posted a P90,000 bail on Tuesday before the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division in connection with the graft case filed against him over the alleged P92.8-million ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.

However, Revilla will not be allowed to go home despite posting bail, after the Sandiganbayan Special Third Division ordered his temporary detention at the Quezon City Jail in Payatas for the malversation case he is facing in relation to the same alleged ghost project, which was awarded to the contractor in March 2025.

The graft charge is bailable, while malversation is a non-bailable offense.

This means Revilla must file a separate petition for bail before the Sandiganbayan Third Division, and the court must rule in his favor, before he can secure temporary liberty.

The former senator was accompanied by his wife, Cavite Second District Rep. Lani Mercado-Revilla, and their sons Brian and Jolo, when he appeared before the Sandiganbayan on Tuesday.

Brian is the current Agimat party-list representative, while Jolo is the Cavite First District representative.

A warrant of arrest and a hold departure order were issued by the Sandiganbayan on Monday against Revilla and six co-accused.

Ahead of the filing of criminal charges, former Department of Public Works and Highways undersecretary Roberto Bernardo told a Senate inquiry that he gave the then senator a list of projects in 2024 and that Revilla allegedly asked for a “commitment” fee pegged at 25 percent of the project cost.

Bernardo also claimed that former DPWH Bulacan district engineer Henry Alcantara collected the 25 percent commitment, amounting to about ₱125 million, which was allegedly delivered to Revilla’s residence in Cavite.

The Department of Justice has accepted Alcantara and Bernardo as state witnesses in the flood control cases.