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February 6, 2026 | 9:11am
Former senator Bong Revilla arrives at the Sandiganbayuan on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. The anti-graft court ordered his detention at the Quezon City Jail in Payatas following his surrender over a malversation case in the Bulacan flood control scam.
The STAR / Michael Varcas
MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has denied former senator Bong Revilla's motion to be transferred to the custody of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
In an order dated February 5, the anti-graft court denied the motion of Revilla and Emelita Juat to be moved to police custody, ruling that there is no legal basis for prolonged detention in PNP facilities once a commitment order is issued.
“The court further noted that the detention of the accused in a jail supervised and controlled by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) is beneficial to the accused for purposes of computation of their time allowances,” the Sandiganbayan said, according to its briefer dated February 5.
“The court also recognized that the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory at Payatas Road and Female Dormitory at Camp Tomas B. Karingal, Sikatuna Village are the designated jail facilities for persons implicated in the flood control scandal,” it added.
The Sandiganbayan also denied a series of motions of Revilla and his co-accused that challenged the court’s jurisdiction and the validity of arrest warrants.
No consolidation. The anti-graft court denied a motion by co-accused Juanito Mendoza to merge this malversation case with a separate graft case currently pending before the Fourth Division. The Sandiganbayan ruled that consolidation would only cause "disarray" and unnecessary delays.
The court also noted that the graft case is already in an advanced stage, with most of the accused already arraigned.
In contrast, the malversation case has yet to reach the arraignment phase, as the court must still resolve Mendoza’s petition for bail.
Motions for reinvestigation denied. Revilla and Mendoza had also sought to remand the case to the Ombudsman for reinvestigation, with Revilla arguing a denial of due process. He claimed the initial investigation focused on a different violation.
However, the Sandiganbayan explained that the Ombudsman has the sole authority to determine the proper charges based on the evidence, regardless of the initial complaint.
The court added that a remand would only prejudice the accused, who are currently detained for a non-bailable offense.
Arrest warrants and information upheld. Revilla’s attempt to quash his warrant of arrest — which he described as “precipitate and perfunctory” — was also struck down.
The anti-graft court asserted that it had independently and personally reviewed the records to determine probable cause before ordering the arrests.
Furthermore, the court rejected motions to quash the information. It ruled that the elements of malversation through falsification and the existence of a conspiracy were sufficiently alleged.
The Sandiganbayan also explained that while Revilla and Mendoza are not "accountable officers," they can still be held liable if they are proven to have conspired with public officials who are.
Why is Revilla in detention? The former lawmaker is in detention due to the alleged anomalous P92.8 million flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan, which investigators alleged was non-existent.
Revilla surrendered to police on January 19 in Quezon City. On January 20, the Sandiganbayan Third Special Division ordered Revilla detained at the male dormitory of the Quezon City Jail in Payatas.
