Bong Revilla wants to join Senate debates, vote on BBL

Detained Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. wants to take part in the Senate deliberations  and cast his vote on the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

In a press statement Thursday, Revilla, detained in connection with the alleged pork barrel scam, said he has already asked his lawyers to file an urgent motion with the Sandiganbayan First Division to allow him to participate in the chamber’s deliberations.

He said his being incarcerated did not remove him from office, nor did it relieve him of his responsibilities.

“To not participate in its crafting is dereliction of our mandated duty that we swore to fulfill. Kailangan pa rin naming tuparin ang aming sinumpaang tungkulin,” Revilla said.

“The people of Mindanao and the entire country made me their representative. Kailangan marinig ang kanilang tinig,” he added, noting that he garnered the most number of votes in the 2010 elections with almost 20 million votes, and was also the top senator in the Mindanao region.

The senator said the BBL is a very significant and important piece of legislation, possibly determinative of the future of not only Mindanao, but the entire nation.  

“We are looking into the realization of peace that has long eluded us. That is why the matter should be carefully studied so that genuine and lasting peace in Mindanao and in the country is finally attained,” he said.

“I am hopeful that the First Division will allow me to fulfill my mandate.  Not only is it my constitutional right, but more importantly, my constitutional duty,” said Revilla.

Revill, Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Jinggoy Estrada are facing graft and corruption charges in connection with the pork barrel scam. Revilla and Estrada are detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center, while Enrile is at the PNP General Hospital.

The BBL is the product of the peace agreement signed between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). —Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News