A flood control project at the center of graft and malversation charges against former senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. was certified 95.17 percent finished just three weeks after work was officially authorized to begin, an investigator told the Sandiganbayan on Monday.
National Bureau of Investigation agent Ivan Bernard Samson, assigned to the bureau’s Bulacan office, disclosed the timeline during a bail hearing before the anti-graft court’s Third Division. He said the notice to proceed for the Pandi, Bulacan project — valued at P92.8 million — was issued on April 8, 2025, with the near-completion declaration following on April 29 of the same year.
Associate Justice Ronald Moreno, a member of the Third Division, pressed Samson on whether the site actually reflected that level of progress. The agent answered plainly: “I agree, your honor. That is not 95 percent [complete].”
Samson had conducted his first site inspection on September 16 last year, bringing along video footage recorded on his cellphone. The material, shown during the hearing, depicted what appeared to be a muddy riverbank rather than a structure approaching completion. He returned to the site multiple times between September and November, though Moreno noted that capping beams had already been built by the time of the November visit.
The project, the court heard, carried a maximum allowable completion period of 270 days — making the 21-day completion claim even more striking by comparison.
On the question of evidence, Samson confirmed that the NBI had not issued a subpoena to Revilla, unlike the former senator’s co-accused. He attributed that decision to what he described as sufficient existing evidence for prosecution. Central to that evidence is the account of former Public Works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, now a state witness, who claimed he personally delivered P125 million to Revilla’s residence in 2024. A separate delivery of P250 million, allegedly carried out by Bernardo’s aide ahead of the 2025 elections, was also cited.
Revilla’s lead counsel, Atty. Francesca Senga, rejected those claims outright, describing them as “hearsay” from an “unbelievable and unreliable source.”
Revilla has been in detention since January, as the malversation case against him is non-bailable. He has separately posted P90,000 bail for the related graft charge.
