The Office of the Ombudsman has filed a motion urging the Sandiganbayan to partially reconsider its July 31, 2026 resolution and revoke the provisional liberty granted to former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
The move challenges the decision of the Sandiganbayan Third Division, which granted Revilla bail in connection with his pending malversation case involving an alleged ₱92.8-million anomalous flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.
Penned by Associate Justice Fritz Bryn Anthony Delos Santos with Associate Justice Ronald Moreno concurring, the resolution was opposed by Third Division Chairperson Associate Justice Karl Miranda.
In its 15-page motion for reconsideration, the prosecution formally asked the anti-graft court to deny the bail petition, asserting:
”[I]t is respectfully prayed that the Resolution dated 31 July 2026 be PARTIALLY RECONSIDERED insofar as it granted the Petition for Bail filed by accused Ramon “Bong” Bautista Revilla, Jr., and a new one be rendered DENYING the said Petition.”
The Ombudsman argued that the offense extends beyond the misuse of government money, framing it as a direct violation of public trust.
”Their greed undermined their ability to be real agents of the public whom they have sworn to serve. Instead of nurturing their knowledge and skills as public servants, they beefed up their experience in graft and corruption,” the motion noted. “Indeed, to enrich themselves at the expense of public service is sheer moral callousness. While it is an evil that cannot be easily discovered, it cannot be hidden nor go unpunished forever.”
While Revilla may not have directly pocketed the entire sum, prosecutors stated that he facilitated the embezzlement scheme by securing project funding in exchange for kickbacks.
”Accused Revilla facilitated the inclusion of the subject project in the appropriations bill and the 2025 GAA, and received kickbacks, advance commissions, or ‘commitments’,” the prosecution added.
The motion emphasized that official documents falsely reported the flood control initiative as 95.17% complete to justify disbursing ₱76,916,337.42 to the contractor, SYMS, despite no actual work taking place.
State prosecutors asserted that the individual actions of the accused formed a coordinated effort, identifying Revilla as the primary beneficiary.
”By reason of his receipt of hundreds of millions of pesos by way of ‘commitments,’ the contractor retained only a minimal portion and the DPWH B1-DEO officials carried out the process. This disproportionate benefit undoubtedly demonstrates that he was the principal beneficiary of the criminal scheme,” the motion highlighted.
Addressing the court’s earlier reasoning, the prosecution countered that Revilla’s indirect role in daily operations was intentionally structured to insulate him from risk.
”Sadly, to the mind of the majority, this was understood to mean that Revilla was far removed from the entire scheme and served to diminish, rather than establish his participation,” the motion stated.
The prosecution concluded that Revilla leveraged his political position within established Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) channels to orchestrate the plot, asserting:
”Surely, it was erroneous to isolate his overt acts from the ‘kalakaran’ system in the DPWH. Indeed, there would have been no occasion for his co-accused to dip their hands in the cookie jar containing the public funds involved and to misappropriate the same, were it not for his participation in facilitating and ensuring that the subject project be allocated with a budget in the GAA, of course, in exchange for his receipt of ‘commitments.’”