MANILA — Former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. will not be allowed to attend his brother’s wake after the Sandiganbayan Third Division denied his request for a temporary furlough, saying the appeal failed to meet the legal standard for exceptional circumstances.
Revilla remains detained while facing a non-bailable malversation charge linked to the alleged ₱92.8-million ghost project in Pandi, Bulacan. Although he has denied any wrongdoing, his application for bail has yet to be resolved by the anti-graft court.
According to a resolution dated June 26 and made public on Tuesday, the court rejected Revilla’s urgent motion seeking permission to visit the wake of his brother, Jojo Manungas Bautista, in Imus, Cavite.
The former senator had also requested to appear without his detention uniform while being escorted by personnel of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
In denying the motion, the Sandiganbayan ruled that while the death of a family member is a painful loss, it does not automatically qualify as an extraordinary reason to suspend the rules governing the detention of accused persons, particularly those facing serious non-bailable charges.
The court further emphasized that granting the request would place additional demands on BJMP security personnel and could undermine public confidence by creating the impression that a former public official was being accorded privileges unavailable to other detainees.
Revilla will remain under detention as the Sandiganbayan continues to deliberate on his pending bail petition and the criminal case against him.
elamigo/xf
