Bong Revilla: I’d rather die than be handcuffed

(Updated 7:57 p.m.) He is not afraid to be detained, but he would rather die than be handcuffed.
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In statements he gave following the Sandiganbayan's order for the issuance of arrest warrant against him and his co-accused in the pork barrel scam, Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. said  he will surrender as soon as the arrest warrant is out.

“Handa naman tayo sumuko, haharapin natin itong kasong ito. Kung talagang poposasan pa tayo o kakaladkarin, hindi na maganda iyon. Handa na tayo mamatay noon kapag ganoon," he said in an interview on dzMM radio.

“Huwag lang nila tayo bababuyin. Kung bababuyin pa nila ang ating pagkatao, handa na ako mamatay noon,” he added.

Shortly after the Sandiganbayan First Division ordered the issuance of the arrest warrant, Revilla faced his supporters in his home in Bacoor, Cavite to say he is not afraid of his impending arrest.

Directly addressing President Benigno Aquino III, Revilla said he will not be cowed by the plunder and graft charges filed against him for allegedly pocketing millions of pesos from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations.

“Sa pamahalaang Aquino, Mr. President, handa akong magpakulong. Hindi ho ako natatakot, Ginoong Pangulo. Kahit saan pa po ako makarating, ipaglalaban ko ang aking karapatan," Revilla said during a televised press conference.

Revilla's supporters started flocking to his home in Bacoor late Thursday afternoon to throw their support at the embattled senator.

Revilla, during the press conference, was joined by his wife Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado and son Cavite Vice Governor Jolo Revilla.

Also facing arrest are alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles and 31 others. Napoles is already detained in connection with a separate illegal detention case.

Earlier this month, the Office of the Ombudsman filed plunder and graft charges against Revilla, Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Jinggoy Estrada for their alleged involvement in the P10-billion pork barrel scam.

The three senators are being accused of pocketing millions in kickbacks from their PDAF intended for poor farmers by diverting their allocations to bogus foundations linked to Napoles.

In the dzMM interview, Revilla said the administration is prioritizing his arrest because he is the most vocal about criticizing the Aquino government.

“Kitang-kita naman ng lahat. Hindi naman tayo bulag. Hindi tayo bingi. Ang target talaga nila unahin ay ako. Okay lang. Handa ako,” he said.

On Wednesday, Philippine National Police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Reuben Theodore Sindac said the three senators would be handcuffed only if they resist arrest. —KBK, GMA News