Revilla’s sorties ‘no early campaigning’

Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.: Not guilty of premature campaigning INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., who has said he may run for president in 2016, is not guilty of premature campaigning despite his conducting “sorties” around Metro Manila, according to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

“Technically speaking, it cannot be called premature campaigning because he is not yet a candidate. Thus, he cannot be charged with any election offense,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said on Tuesday.

Revilla, anticipating his imminent arrest on plunder charges, has been making the rounds of different communities to defend himself from the accusation he took kickbacks from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel in the hundreds of millions of pesos.

He has consistently denied the charges and said he might run for president even from behind bars and let the people be the judge.

Jimenez said the public could not be faulted for seeing Revilla’s sorties as premature campaigning.

“Since he already has an avowed intention (to run for president), then it is easy to say he is already campaigning. But as far as the Comelec being empowered to take any action at this point, we are not,” he said.