President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has acknowledged personal and political ties to former senator Bong Revilla, but Malacañang stressed that these connections will not influence how the law is applied, according to the Palace press office.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with the President at Malacañang on Tuesday afternoon, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro relayed the President’s position. “Sabi niya malungkot siya dahil nakasama niya ito sa Alyansa at kaibigan niya si Sen. Bong Revilla,” Castro said. She added that the President underscored the primacy of legal procedures, saying, “Pero gayunpaman, proseso pa rin ang mananaig.”
The statement came as Revilla faces charges linked to an alleged PHP92.8-million flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan, for which the Sandiganbayan has issued a warrant of arrest. Revilla turned himself in late Monday night following the court’s order, which also covered several other respondents.
Details of the allegations surfaced earlier during a Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing on November 14 last year. At that hearing, Bernardo testified that Revilla sought a 25 percent commission from the project’s total cost during a discussion he placed “sometime in the third quarter of 2024.”
Bernardo further told lawmakers that, in a separate episode, he instructed an aide to bring an additional ₱250 million to Revilla’s home in Bacoor, Cavite, shortly before the official campaign period began.
