No graduation pass for Revilla
MANILA, Philippines—Saying it would have set a bad precedent and would have been a “mockery” of the justice system, three Sandiganbayan justices denied Sen. Bong Revilla’s request to leave detention to attend his daughter’s high school graduation.
The Sandiganbayan First Division reminded the senator that he is detained while on trial for plunder and graft charges because the court found strong evidence to prove his involvement in the multimillion-peso pork barrel scam.
“To the mind of the court, allowing accused Revilla to attend the graduation of his daughter will not only set a bad precedent but will likewise be regarded as a mockery of the administration of justice,” the antigraft court said.
The unanimous decision was signed by First Division chair Associate Justice Efren de la Cruz and members Associate Justices Rodolfo Ponferrada and Rafael Lagos.
Revilla requested the court to allow him to attend his daughter Ma. Fraznel Loudette Bautista’s graduation at De La Salle Zobel in Muntinlupa on March 28 after another Sandiganbayan division allowed detained Sen. Jinggoy Estrada to attend his son’s high school graduation on March 17.
The Sandiganbayan Fifth Division, chaired by Associate Justice Roland Jurado, with Associate Justices Alexander Gesmundo and Theresa Estoesta as members, said it allowed the furlough because the senator’s absence “will be traumatic for the child.”
Government prosecutors had told the court that giving in to Revilla’s request would give the impression that the senator is a “favored detainee.”
“It is precisely for this reason that the Fifth Division of this Honorable Court earned the ire of the public when it granted a similar motion filed by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and allowed the latter to attend the graduation ceremonies of his son,” they said.
In denying Revilla’s request, the Sandiganbayan First Division reminded the senator that it had previously allowed him to undergo medical checkups and to visit his son Cavite Vice Gov. Jolo Revilla in the hospital “due to [the] exceptional circumstances and for humanitarian considerations.”
“Under similar exceptional circumstances in the future, the court will not hesitate to grant any motion that may be filed by accused Revilla and/or coaccused to leave their detention cell,” the court said.
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Bong Revilla not allowed to attend daughter’s graduation
