No special treatment is being given to detained former senator Ramon Revilla Jr., according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla. He showed the public blurred mugshots of Revilla and his six co-accused taken during booking procedures to protect their rights. This came two days after Revilla surrendered.
At a news briefing in Camp Crame, Remulla explained that there was no intention to withhold the photos as events unfolded quickly. He claimed Revilla's detention privileges match those of inmates accused of shoplifting. Revilla wears a yellow T-shirt and striped shorts or long pants, with no cellphone access except during lawyer meetings in a separate room.
Revilla and his six co-accused face malversation and falsification of public documents charges at the Sandiganbayan over an alleged anomalous P92.8 million flood control project in Pandi, Bulacan. He is held at the New Quezon City Jail in Barangay Payatas. Though saddened by his lifelong friend's plight, Remulla stated personal ties cannot override national duty. 'Sino sa inyo may kaibigan na nakulong? It pains me to see a friend go to jail but my commitment to country goes beyond friendship,' he said.
He stressed that national interest prevails over longstanding friendship. Revilla and co-respondents are in separate cells for the mandatory seven-day quarantine for new inmates. Afterward, they will join the general jail population.
