Jamaine Punzalan

Former senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. arrives at the Sandiganbayan in Quezon City on Monday, February 9, 2026, for his scheduled arraignment. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

FLOOD CONTROL PROJECTS

Kaxandra Salonga

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178548178160820260209-sandiganbayan-flood-control-case-revilla-MT1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Former senator Ramon &quot;Bong&quot; Revilla Jr. arrives at the Sandiganbayan in Quezon City on Monday, February 9, 2026, for his scheduled arraignment. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — Former Sen. Ramon &quot;Bong&quot; Revilla Jr. will be temporarily released from detention after the Sandiganbayan Third Division granted his petition for bail for his malversation case over the alleged ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.</p><p>The anti-graft court on Friday ordered Revilla to be provisionally released upon posting of a cash bond worth P1 million for “failure of the prosecution to establish that the evidence of his guilt is strong.”</p><p>Meanwhile, the court denied the bail petitions of Revilla’s co-accused, DPWH-Bulacan First District Engineers Brice Hernandez, Jaypee Mendoza, Emelita Juat, Arjay Domasig, accountant Juanito Mendoza and cashier Christina Pineda “on account of the strong evidence of their guilt as to the charge of malversation.”</p><p>Revilla was detained for six months at the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory since January along with his co-accused.</p><p>According to the prosecution, Revilla and his co-accused allegedly connived to divert at least P76 million for the construction of the project in Purok V, Barangay Bunsuran in Pandi, Bulacan, which was never implemented despite being declared completed.</p><p>The trial for Revilla’s malversation case will continue on August 4.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>TESTIMONIES IMPLICATING REVILLA, HERNANDEZ</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>In a previous bail hearing, DPWH Undersecretary Roberto Bernardo testified to making three<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/24/bernardo-testifies-delivering-p500-million-to-revilla-1736"> cash deliveries worth P500 million for Revilla, </a>whom he claimed asked for a 25-percent “commitment” or percentage of funds for infrastructure projects, including the alleged ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.</p><p>Bernardo also alleged Revilla initiated a meeting with him to relay to DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan and the late DPWH Undersecretary Catalina Cabral that the Pandi, Bulacan project be included in the 2025 General Appropriations Act.</p><p>His testimony was c<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/23/bernardo-aide-testifies-to-delivering-boxes-luggage-to-revilla-estrada-1443">orroborated by his driver and personal aide</a>, who testified that they personally delivered boxes to Revilla’s ancestral house, which he referred to as the “White House.”</p><p>Engr. Peter Paul Cortes, chief of the DPWH Programming Division, told the court that Cabral ordered the inclusion of Revilla as proponent for several projects, including the project material to the case.</p><p>He claimed that the amended budget proposal submitted to the House Committee on Appropriations contained an errata dated Sept. 2024, which named Revilla as a proponent of the Pandi, Bulacan project.</p><p>Moreover, former DPWH Engr. Henry Alcantara confirmed that the acronym “SBR,” referring to “Senator Bong Revilla,” appeared on a list of project proponents prepared by his staff.</p><p>He said Bernardo gave verbal instructions to name Revilla as proponent. </p><p>Meanwhile, a liaison officer of SYMS Construction testified that <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/20/syms-liaison-officer-testifies-grocery-boxes-containing-p299-million-delivered-to-brice-hernandez-1245">P299 million contained in grocery boxes for chips, soy sauce, coffee, and noodles </a>was delivered to Revilla’s co-accused, former DPWH Engr. Brice Hernandez.</p><p>This covered<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/4/20/syms-liaison-officer-testifies-grocery-boxes-containing-p299-million-delivered-to-brice-hernandez-1245"> five separate projects that Hernandez allegedly implemented </a>under Santos’ contractor’s license, including the project in Pandi, Bulacan.</p><p>SYMS Construction owner Sally Santos, who also took the witness stand in April, claimed she delivered P400 million to Hernandez in one go, as part of her dealings in infrastructure projects from 2024 to 2025.</p><p>Revilla’s counsel has argued that the witnesses’ testimonies merely echoed Bernardo’s alleged verbal instructions, and claimed there is no strong documentary evidence showing Revilla received any kickbacks.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>PROJECT 95% COMPLETE?</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>During the bail hearing, Associate Justices Karl Miranda, Ronald Moreno, and Lord Villanueva inspected the alleged 128-meter flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan, which had been reported as <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/4/15/95-percent-complete-dpwh-engineer-says-no-structures-seen-for-pandi-flood-project-1619">95-percent complete.</a></p><p>However, DPWH Bulacan First District Engineering Office OIC district engineer Kenneth Fernando, who facilitated the inspection, said no visible structures were found at the site.</p><p>The defense argued that the project could not be considered a “ghost” project, citing steel sheet piles allegedly embedded underground.</p><p>The prosecution, however, noted that the steel sheet piles were barely visible, already rusting, and overgrown with vegetation.</p><p>An earlier inspection by DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon found only three meters of steel sheet piles installed, short of the 12 meters indicated in the project’s Detailed Engineering Design.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cSjiryXxbhU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div><div><br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"/></div><div><br/></div><div><br/></div><div><br style="caret-color:rgb(0, 0, 0);color:rgb(0, 0, 0)"/></div>

<p>The Sandiganbayan Third Division granted Friday former senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.’s petition for bail for his malversation case over the alleged ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.</p>

The Sandiganbayan Third Division granted Friday former senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.’s petition for bail for his malversation case over the alleged ghost flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan.

Revilla to be temporarily released from detention as Sandiganbayan grants bail for malversation

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Revilla to be temporarily released from detention as Sandiganbayan grants bail for malversation

Kaxandra Salonga,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 31, 2026 03:03 PM PHT

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Updated July 31, 2026 03:50 PM PHT

Read More:

Bong Revilla

bail

flood control

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