No urgency for Bong Revilla to visit son Jolo, say prosecutors

Senator Bong Revilla. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — State prosecutors told the Sandiganbayan they do not see the urgency for detained Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. to visit his son, Cavite Vice Governor Jolo Revilla, in the hospital because the latter is already in stable condition.

But the panel, in its motion, did not outrightly deny Revilla’s motion for a three-hour furlough to visit his son, who is under intensive care at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center for a self-inflicted gunshot wound on the chest.

“Based on the clinical abstract issued by the Asian Hospital on patient Vice Governor Revilla, which was submitted by accused Revilla in support of his Urgent Motion, Vice Governor Revilla is in stable condition and has stable vital signs, as of March 1, 2015, 8:00 p.m. Hence, there is no urgent necessity for accused to leave his place of detention,” the motion read.

“In any event, the prosecution respectfully submits to the sound discretion of this Court the resolution of this motion,” it added.

In his motion, Revilla, detained for plunder over the pork barrel scam, said he was “shocked” about the incident and asked the court’s compassion to visit his son as a concerned father.

“Revilla – as any father would feel – bears that it is his obligation to visit his son to ensure that he is already safe and in a stable medical condition and to spend a few minutes with him to provide support and assurance in this life-threatening situation,” the motion read.

Speculations were rife that Jolo tried to commit suicide on Saturday, but Revilla family’s spokesperson Raymund Fortun said it was only an accidental shooting that happened while Jolo was cleaning his gun.

According to the clinical abstract of the Asian Hospital, the younger Revilla sustained a “self-inflicted” gunshot on the chest.

The vice governor underwent a two-and-a-half hour operation on Sunday afternoon wherein a tube was inserted in his body to drain blood from his lungs.