By Tracy Cabrera
FORMER senator Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr. will apparently remain jailed in the prison facilities in Payatas as the Sandiganbayan rejected his request to be transfered to Camp Crame’s custodial center.
But more importantly, the anti-graft court has affirmed the sufficiency of the non-bailable case of malversation of public funds through falsification of public documents filed by the Office of the Ombudsman against former senator, including six former officials of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in connection with an alleged ₱92.8-million ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.
In a 30-page resolution, the court’s Third Division denied Revilla’s omnibus motion to quash the case and remand it to the Ombudsman for a reinvestigation.
The Third Division also denied Revilla’s motion to quash the arrest warrant issued against him last January 19, which prompted him to surrender to authorities on the same day.
In the same resolution, the Third Division likewise denied the motion to quash the case information filed by Revilla’s co-accused, former DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office (DEO) accountant Juanito Mendoza. Also denied was Mendoza’s motion to consolidate for a single trial their malversation through falsification case with their graft case pending before the court’s Fourth Division.
The Third Division also denied the motion of former DPWH Bulacan First DEO engineer Emelita Juat to be detained at the Bulacan Provincial Police Office detention facility from Camp Karingal’s Female Dormitory, also in Quezon City.
In denying Revilla’s and Juat’s bid to be transferred to the PNP Custodial Center and the Bulacan Provincial Police Office, respectively, the Third Division deemed that the jail facilities where accused are currently detained have sufficient measures, personnel and features to ensure their safety and welfare.
With the Sandiganbayan decision to deny Revilla and his co-accused’s respective motions, their arraignment has been set this Monday, February 9 from the original schedule last January 23 which was deferred due to the pending motions.
