MANILA, Philippines — Former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. posted P1 million bail in an ongoing malversation case on Friday, while the Office of the Ombudsman said he still owes P124.5 million in civil damages that the Sandiganbayan ordered him to pay after acquitting him in the pork barrel scam cases.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla disclosed the unpaid liability Saturday on his weekly radio program, “Executive Session,” on dzRH. He said the Sandiganbayan ordered Revilla to return the money to the national treasury after clearing him of plunder in 2018 and 16 related graft cases in 2021.
“Until now, the money has yet to be returned (to the government),” Remulla said.
Revilla left the Quezon City Jail early Friday evening after the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division granted him bail in his latest case.
The former senator faces graft and malversation charges over an alleged conspiracy with officials and personnel of the Department of Public Works and Highways involving a P92.8-million flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan, that investigators said did not exist.
The Ombudsman said Revilla and his coaccused allegedly allowed at least P76 million to be released to a private contractor for the project.
Revilla previously posted bail in the graft case and remained detained until the court allowed him to post bail for the malversation charge.
Remulla said the Ombudsman expected the court to grant Revilla bail but did not provide evidence to support his claim that someone may have influenced the decision.
“We already know this … Someone may have worked on this to grant the bail,” Remulla said.
Revilla’s lawyer, Reody Anthony Balisi, has not commented on Remulla’s statement. Balisi said Friday that the bail ruling “affirms the truth that the evidence of guilt is not strong.”
The Ombudsman said it respects the Sandiganbayan’s bail decision but will pursue available legal remedies.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano said the agency would “exhaust all remedies” to establish the basis for its position that the evidence against Revilla remains strong.
The earlier civil liability dates to the pork barrel scam cases filed against Revilla, former senators Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile in 2014. Prosecutors accused the three lawmakers of receiving kickbacks from businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles in exchange for allocating their pork barrel funds to questionable projects.
Prosecutors alleged that Revilla received P224.5 million in kickbacks, the largest amount among the three former senators.
The Sandiganbayan acquitted Revilla of plunder in 2018 while convicting his coaccused, former chief of staff Richard Cambe and Napoles. The court later acquitted Revilla of the 16 graft cases in July 2021.
The Sandiganbayan ordered Revilla to pay P124.5 million in civil damages despite his acquittal, according to Remulla.
In 2019, the Ombudsman asked the anti-graft court to compel Revilla to pay the civil liability. State prosecutors argued that an acquittal based on reasonable doubt did not necessarily eliminate civil liability.
Revilla’s lawyer at the time, Estelito Mendoza, argued that the former senator could not face civil liability because the court had acquitted him of criminal charges.
Remulla said the judiciary, including the Supreme Court, should monitor cases involving large civil liabilities that courts order defendants to return to the government.
The Ombudsman chief also said he plans to meet with Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo to discuss a coordinated approach to fighting corruption.
“We in the Ombudsman, we raise a standard of reasonable certainty of conviction before we file a case,” Remulla said. “We raised the standard. This is not being weaponized. Our work isn’t weaponized. It’s evidence-based.”
He added that combating corruption requires cooperation between prosecutors and the judiciary.
