Malacañang dismisses Revilla’s gripe that he is administration’s ‘trophy’

Sen. Ramon ‘Bong’ Revilla Jr.

MANILA, Philippines—Following the Sandiganbayan’s decision to junk detained Sen. Bong Revilla’s plea for bail, Malacañang on Thursday brushed aside the senator’s complaints that the administration was him as its “trophy.”

“We respect the integrity of the judiciary as a separate and co-equal branch and the accusation has no basis. We have not, at any time, interfered in the processes of justice,” said Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr.

Neither was government getting personal with Revilla, as the senator appeared to insinuate in a press statement he made after his bail petition was denied, which would have allowed him to spend the Christmas holidays with his family, Coloma said.

“Ever since, there was nothing personal with what government has been doing,” Coloma said, in reference to Revilla’s statement which implied that Malacañang was denying him Christmas with his family.

“We are just following the law, from the implementation of the law, (to) respect for the processes of the law, including the process of the Office of the Ombudsman that reached the filing of (cases) in the Sandiganbayan for the trial of the cases filed against them,” Colomo said at a a press briefing held on Thursday.

He pointed out that the bail hearing was merely “the first phase of obtaining justice for the misuse of public funds, and that the administration “would like to see the full fruition of this process.’