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MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Friday urged the public to respect the decision of the Sandiganbayan acquitting former Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. of plunder chargers in connection with the multi-billion pork barrel scam.
“The court has spoken and the Palace abides by its decision,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.
While Revilla was acquitted, the anti-graft court found alleged pork barrel mastermind Janet Lim- Napoles and Revilla’s aide Richard Cambe guilty.
The Judiciary, Panelo said, “has performed its constitutional duty of dispensing justice.”
“While justice grinds so slow most of the time,” he said, “it does grind, and when it stops it renders a verdict that is exacting immutable.”
“Regardless of the sentiments to the contrary, we have to bow down to the judgment of the Sandiganbayan,” he said.
“We have consistently respected the independence of the Judiciary and we will continue to do so in this case as we implement the final orders of the anti-graft court on the matter,” he added.
The Palace official said that either party, “whether for the prosecution or the defense, who feels aggrieved of the decision may still pursue remedies available under our procedural laws.”
“In any event, this Administration takes stock of the lessons learned from cases involving unconstitutional discretionary funds and has implemented measures to ensure the integrity of the national budget and its proper utilization for our people,” he said. /muf
READ: Full copy of Sandiganbayan ruling on Bong Revilla acquittal
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