MANILA – Former Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. on Thursday took the witness stand before the Sandiganbayan 1st Division and denied getting kickbacks from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam. 

During his testimony led by his lawyers Estelito Mendoza and Reody Anthony Balisi, Revilla, who is on trial for plunder, asserted that he did not receive any money from businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, the alleged scam mastermind, nor her employees.

“I never received money from Janet Lim Napoles at sa mga kasamahan niya (and her colleagues),” Revilla said.

Revilla, his former legislative officer Richard Cambe, and Napoles are facing plunder charges for supposedly amassing P224 million from his PDAF.

He supposedly made profits from the diversion of his discretionary funds through Cambe who supposedly transacted with Napoles, according to government prosecutors.

But Revilla said he never gave Cambe the authority to deal with Napoles on his behalf. 

“I never authorized Atty. Cambe, ang trabaho niya lang focused on legislation,” Revilla said. 

Former Senator Bong Revilla is presented by lawyer Estelito Mendoza as witness in his plunder trial at the Sandiganbayan. pic.twitter.com/jRTTsBUzif
— Adrian Ayalin (@adrianayalin) June 28, 2018

But upon cross-examination by Deputy Special Prosecutor Manuel Soriano, Revilla admitted that there were letters he supposedly sent to former President Gloria Arroyo and then Budget and Management Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. in connection with his PDAF.

Asked, however, on his supposed signatures in the attachments to the letters, Revilla denied affixing his signatures nor initials.

“'Yun letter niya sa DBM (Department of Budget and Management) saka kay President Arroyo, nag-request siya ng release of funding for his chosen priority projects (In his letter to the DBM and to President Arroyo, he requested a release of funding for his chosen priority projects)," Soriano said.

Meanwhile, Revilla and his wife Bacoor City Mayor Lani Mercado welcomed testimonies of whistleblowers Marina Sula, Mary Arlene Baltazar and Merlina Suñas who apparently sided with Revilla

PDAF scam whistleblower Marina Sula turns tables on prosecutors, fellow witness Benhur Luy
PDAF scam 'hostile witness' says she never saw Revilla in Napoles office

The three prosecution witnesses, who were declared "hostile witnesses" by the court, had told the court they did not see Revilla sign the supposed endorsement letters for PDAF projects and that it was actually their fellow whistleblower Benhur Luy who signed some of the documents.

“Naiiyak at natutuwa po ako ng sabay (I want to cry and laugh at the same time),” Revilla said in a statement released by his former Senate staff.

“Natutuwa kami sa mga sinabi nila, parang mabigat sa kalooban namin, naiyak na nga ako sa mga sinasabi nila. Ang akin lang talaga personally, it took them four years to say this, bakit pinatagal pa (We are happy about what they said, it just feels heavy, I cried because of what they said. For me personally, it took them four years to say this, why did they wait that long)?” Mercado said.

After Revilla's camp finished their turn to present witnesses, the prosecution is set to present their rebuttal evidence on August 7 and 9.

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