Former senator Ramon Revilla Jr., who is detained for plunder over the pork barrel scam, on Thursday asked for prayers for his 90-year old father and namesake, who is back at the hospital for a heart procedure.
Revilla arrived at the Sandiganbayan First Division court room and signed the pre-trial order, paving the way for the court to proceed with the full-blown trial for plunder of Revilla and the accused scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles.
In an interview with reporters, Revilla asked for prayers for a successful heart procedure of his father, former senator Ramon Revilla Sr. who is confined at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Bonifacio Global City.
He said he has asked the court to grant him furlough from detention to visit his father. The court had earlier granted his similar requests to visit his father in the past.
“Nasa hospital siya ngayon. May procedure na gagawin sa kanya on Monday (He’s in the hospital rught now. He will undergo a procedure on Monday). That’s why I have to be there on Monday para suporta sa kanya (to support him),” Revilla said.
“Kaya’t humihiling tayo sa mga kababayan natin na kung maaari konting panalangin po na malagpasan niya itong procedure na ito (I’m asking the public for prayers so that he safely undergoes this procedure). Heart procedure,” he added.
In his urgent motion for furlough, Revilla asked the court to be granted furlough on June 19, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, and on June 20, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Revilla Sr., 90, is being treated for valvular heart disease, severe mitral regurgitation, congestive heart failure, and NYHA FC II, according to his son’s urgent motion.
Revilla Sr. will undergo percutaneous mitralclip on June 19, “a medical procedure which involves considerable risk to a frail 90-year old man,” the motion added.
Former senator Ramon Revilla Jr. PHOTO by MARC CAYABYAB/INQUIRER.net
“Accused Revilla feels obliged to come to the aid of his father, who is very close to him, even by his mere presence, and cannot disregard a son’s natural urge and desire to visit and be with his ailing and weak father, and spend a few moments together, to provide Senator Revilla Sr. the needed assurance and support,” the motion stated.
Revilla and Napoles attended the scheduled signing at the Sandiganbayan First Division of the pre-trial order that ran up to 764 pages.
The court gave the green light for the signing after both parties finally agreed on the facts stated in the order after a grueling two years of preliminary conference and pre-trial spent for the marking of documents and stipulation of facts.
The pre-trial order is an outline of the documentary evidence and witnesses that would serve as a guide for the trial proper.
Revilla surrendered and was detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in 2014 for plunder for allegedly pocketing P224.5 million in kickbacks from his Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) in the scheme of using the pork barrel fund in ghost projects by mastermind Napoles.
Also detained for plunder is Revilla’s colleague, former senator Jinggoy Estrada, who was denied bail while accused of pocketing P183.7-million kickbacks. Former senator Juan Ponce Enrile, now out on bail, is accused of receiving P172.8-million kickbacks.
Napoles meanwhile is detained at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig, after she was acquitted of her case for serious illegal detention.
Their plunder and graft charges were filed with the Sandiganbayan by the Office of the Special Prosecutor in June 2014. It was only this year when the plunder cases reached the trial stage. JE