Revilla refuses to enter plea in malversation case over P92.8-M ‘ghost’ project
Former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. again refused to enter a plea when he was arraigned on the malversation charge pending against him in the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division on Monday, prompting the court to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf.
One of his coaccused, former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) accountant Juanito Mendoza of the Bulacan 1st District Engineering Office, entered a not guilty plea.
Both Revilla and Mendoza were directed to submit their respective pretrial briefs on Feb. 20, while their counsels were ordered to appear before the Third Division from Feb. 23 to Feb. 27 for the marking of evidence.
The court also set the pretrial proceedings on March 6 for the former senator.
The case filed on Jan. 16 by the Office of the Ombudsman against Revilla and six former DPWH engineers and employees is in connection with the flood control project worth P92.8 million in Pandi, Bulacan, that turned out to be nonexistent despite being reported as completed.
According to the Ombudsman, all of the accused conspired to release at least P76 million as payment for the project that was awarded to a private contractor in March 2025.
At the same time, the Third Division allowed both Revilla and Mendoza to file their respective motions for reconsideration before the Ombudsman.
Status quo
But it clarified that this would not lead to the suspension of the ongoing proceedings or the nullification of the arrest warrants earlier issued against them.
Any action taken by the Ombudsman, the court added, would be treated as a separate matter. Should the Ombudsman reverse or modify its earlier resolution charging them with malversation, it must file the proper motion before the Sandiganbayan, which retains the authority to approve or deny such requests.
“It cannot, by itself, terminate or suspend the proceedings in this case, or even result in the quashing of the warrants of arrest,” the court clarified, noting that all accused remain detained for a nonbailable offense.
The Third Division said that halting proceedings would only prolong their detention and potentially hinder them from pursuing bail petitions. It also stressed that allowing delays would be prejudicial and contrary to their constitutional right to a speedy trial, adding that there was no denial of Revilla’s due process that would justify a reinvestigation.
In line with this, the Sandiganbayan likewise directed the Ombudsman to resolve the pair’s motion for reconsideration within 60 days.
Motion to inhibit denied
On the other hand, the court denied “for lack of merit” the motion for inhibition Revilla filed against Third Division Associate Justice Karl Miranda—whose brother served as a lawyer for a government witness against the former senator.
Revilla faces a separate case for graft in the Sandiganbayan’s Fourth Division, also filed by the Ombudsman on Jan. 16. He posted bail of P90,000 but remains detained at the New Quezon City Jail because of the malversation case, which is a nonbailable offense.
During his arraignment for graft on Feb. 9, the former senator refused to enter a plea, prompting the court to enter a plea of not guilty on his behalf. —WITH A REPORT FROM INQUIRER RESEARCH
