Now that he’s again running for a Senate seat, former Senator Bong Revilla said that he would include in his legislative agenda a measure against “false accusers.”
Revilla, who was acquitted by the Sandiganbayan on charges of plunder after the prosecution failed to prove that he received kickbacks worth P224.5 million by allegedly channeling his Priority Development Assistance Funds, or pork barrel, to fake foundations of alleged scheme mastermind Janet Lim Napoles, said he will push for the measure to get back against those who had worked to put him in jail.
“Yung legislative agenda meron, para dun sa mga false accusers,” said Revilla, who was detained at Camp Crame for the last four years. “Dapat may counter tayo diyan dahil hindi tama yung nangyari.”
But while he refused to identify the persons who he said were moving against him, the former senator wished that bad karma will catch up with them.
“Up to the very last minute they’re moving. Kumbaga they really want to hang me. Hanggang ngayon gumagalaw sila. Kung may pamilya kayo maniwala kayo sa karma, babalik din yan sa inyo,” he said.
While Revilla was exonerated, his former aide Richard Cambe and Napoles were found guilty and sentenced to reclusion perpetua.
Revilla, along with his former colleagues at the Senate—Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada, were indicted by then Conchita Morales of the Office of the Ombudsman in the pork barrel scam, which was one of the biggest controversies during the Aquino administration in 2014.
Then-Justice Secretary and now Senator Leila de Lima pursued the case against Revilla and company, but De Lima was later indicted for her alleged involvement in drug trafficking inside the national penitentiary.
Revilla’s lead counsel, Estelito Mendoza, said Morales was eager to file plunder charges because plunder was non-bailable nature.
“The problem was that during that time when the Ombudsman was Justice Conchita Morales, para bang trigger happy na mag-file ng plunder. Bakit? Dahil plunder no bail, bilanggo kaagad,” Mendoza said.
Revilla, meanwhile, said he also plans to return to his acting stint next year since acting has been his bread and butter even before he became a politician.
“Ang talaga namang bread and butter natin ay pelikula at telebisyon. Yun ang source of income ko talaga hindi yung pagiging senador. Ito naging pagtulong, kung anuman ang pondo yun ang pagtulong natin sa tao,” Revilla said.
“Yung personal [funds] ko, sobra-sobra na yung kita ko e sa mga ginagawa kong pelikula. Yun [showbiz] ang talagang bread and butter ko,” he added.