THE Sandiganbayan Third Division has denied the motion filed by former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. seeking the inhibition of Presiding Associate Justice Karl Miranda from his P92.8‑million malversation case.
In a resolution dated September 24 and released publicly on Tuesday, September 29, the court found Revilla’s petition to be without merit, ruling that Justice Miranda “must therefore proceed with his duty to sit and hear the subject case.” The case centers on alleged funds released for a flood control project in Barangay Bunsuran, Pandi, Bulacan that prosecutors say was never actually constructed.
Revilla had argued that Justice Miranda should recuse himself because the magistrate’s brother, lawyer Buenaventura Miranda, represented former Public Works Undersecretary and state witness Roberto Bernardo.
The court reiterated its earlier stance from a February 10, 2026 ruling on the same issue: Bernardo is not a defendant in the case but a prosecution witness, and it was the prosecution — not Atty. Miranda — who presented his testimony. Revilla also claimed Justice Miranda treated Bernardo’s statements as unquestionable fact, particularly in a separate opinion where he dissented from the division’s decision to grant Revilla bail.
The anti‑graft court clarified that a dissenting or adverse ruling does not equate to personal bias or prejudice. It noted that Justice Miranda’s separate opinion drew from a broad range of witness testimonies and documentary evidence, and that differing judicial interpretations of the same record are a normal part of collegial decision‑making. “Adverse rulings, without more, do not prove bias or partiality warranting inhibition,” the resolution stated, upholding Justice Miranda’s authority to continue presiding over the proceedings.
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