Did Cavite turn its back on Bong Revilla?

Former Senator Bong Revilla. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — Expected to be his bailiwick, former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. suprisingly was not the top voted senatorial candidate in his home turf Cavite.

Based on the partial and unofficial tally of votes from the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), Revilla placed not in the first place, second, or even third but only eighth among the preferred senators for Cavite residents.

He only garnered 576,814 votes from the 1,441,003 votes counted in Cavite as of 1:53 p.m. Tuesday.

It was reelectionist Senator Cynthia Villar who claimed the top spot in the favored candidates of Caviteños with a whopping 894,021 votes, followed by reelectionist Senator Grace Poe with 811,527 votes.

Revilla, who was recently acquitted of plunder, formerly served as vice governor of Cavite in 1995 to 1998 and governor in 1998 to 2001.

READ: Bong Revilla acquitted of plunder

He also served in the Senate from 2004 to 2016, where in 2014, the Office of the Ombudsman found probable cause to indict him of plunder and graft over the multi-million pork barrel scam.

However, after four years of detention, he was cleared of his plunder charges by the Sandiganbayan Special First Division. (Editor: Jonathan P. Vicente)