Groups stage prayer rally in front of Sandiganbayan over Revilla’s bail

MANILA, Philippines — A religious group staged a prayer rally in front of the Sandiganbayan on Wednesday, calling on the court to reverse its resolution allowing former Sen. Bong Revilla to post bail.

Before the demonstration, which included Catholic and mainline Protestant groups, a Catholic Mass was held at San Jose Tagapagtanggol Parish in Quezon City.

READ: Prosecutors cite ‘serious error’ in allowing Bong Revilla to post bail

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In his homily, Fr. Robert Reyes, one of the convenors of the Kingdom Keepers, called on the anti-graft court’s Third Division to “correct” its mistake as it voted 2-1 to grant Revilla a P1 million bail.

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Revilla faces a malversation of public funds case for allegedly conspiring in the illegal disbursement of P76.9 million for the purported ghost flood control project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Bulacan’s Pandi town, worth P92.8 million, supposedly in exchange for a 25-percent cut. 

“Put Bong Revilla back where he belongs,” Reyes said.

After the mass, Reyes and his group went in front of the anti-graft court where they brought placards and signanges condemning the justices who voted for his bail.

Associate Justice Ronald Moreno and Associate Justice Fritz Bryn Delos Santos voted to grant Revilla’s bail while Associate Justice Karl Miranda, the Third Division chairperson, voted against it.

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In a statement, the Kingdom Keepers questioned Moreno and Delos Santos’s vote to grant Revilla bail while denying the same relief to his “lower-ranking DPWH accomplices who merely served as instrumentalities under pressure of systemic corruption.”

On the other hand, they lauded Miranda’s “courageous dissent.”

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The group also said they support the Office of the Ombudsman’s move to reverse the court resolution. 

READ: Sandigan justice who approved Revilla bail asked to inhibit over ‘bias’

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To date, the Ombudsman has filed a motion for reconsideration of Revilla’s bail, while they also filed a motion for the voluntary inhibition of Moreno over alleged “bias”. /jpv