Revilla Jr. granted provisional release on P1M bail in ghost project case

MANILA, Philippines — Citing weak evidence, the Sandiganbayan Third Division has granted former senator Ramon Revilla Jr. provisional release on a million-peso cash bond in his malversation case over a P76.9-million ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan. Revilla posted bail yesterday and was temporarily released from detention. The anti-graft court denied the bail applications of Revilla’s six co-accused officials from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), including Brice Hernandez and Jaypee Mendoza. The ruling drew a scathing dissent from Third Division chairman Karl Miranda, who called it “difficult to justify” freeing an official who allegedly profited from a massive corruption scheme while keeping his co-accused incarcerated. The charges stem from the misappropriation of P76.9 million paid to SYMS Construction Trading for the “Construction of Flood Control Structure, Purok 5, Barangay Bunsuran.” Despite DPWH documents certifying the project was 95.17 percent complete by April 2025, an April 2026 court inspection revealed it was virtually non-existent, featuring only rusting sheet piles covered in heavy vegetation. The majority granted Revilla’s bail on the grounds that the kickbacks he allegedly received were sourced from private contractors before the actual project implementation. Because the money came from private entities before government funds were disbursed, the court reasoned these amounts did not legally constitute “public funds.” Miranda opposed the majority’s conclusion, arguing that Revilla’s actions must be viewed within the context of a systemic DPWH kalakaran or norm. Under this setup, contractors gave advance “commitments” (kickbacks) to project proponents, like legislators, to secure infrastructure contracts. To make a profit, the contractors inevitably recoup these bribes directly from the allocated public funds. This practice highlights a long-standing issue in Philippine infrastructure development.