Palace sees 'no logic' in claims admin helped Bong Revilla secure bail in P92.8M ghost project case

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Malacañang rejected circulating claims that the Marcos administration helped former senator Bong Revilla Jr. secure temporary liberty in his alleged ₱92.8-million ghost flood-control project case. Palace Press Officer Claire Castro called the claim “walang logic,” arguing that Revilla would not have been charged in the first place if the administration intended to protect him. She stressed that the judiciary is separate from the executive and that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. cannot dictate how the Sandiganbayan resolves bail petitions. The Sandiganbayan Third Division allowed Revilla to post ₱1 million in bail after ruling that prosecutors failed to establish during the hearings that the evidence of guilt was strong. The decision granted him provisional liberty while the malversation case continues and did not clear him of the charge. Castro issued the statement after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said his office had expected the ruling and suggested that efforts appeared to have been made to secure Revilla’s release. She said the Ombudsman operates independently and is not required to report its work to the President, while the executive, the anti-graft body and the judiciary each have responsibilities in the government’s fight against corruption.