Philippine senator Ramon 'Bong' Revilla faces music over graft charges
Former action hero tackles most challenging role of his life after turning himself in to Manila court over alleged role in pork barrel scandal
Philippine senator and former movie star Ramon "Bong" Revilla yesterday became the first politician detained over a corruption scandal that has rocked the nation, with two of his colleagues set to follow.
The senator, a former action hero who parlayed his fame into a political career, surrendered following an emotional saga played out for weeks on national television.
"I will go to jail with my head held high, and I will come out with my head held high," Revilla, 47, said after attending a televised mass with his family, dressed in white to symbolise his supposed innocence
I will go to jail with my head held high, and I will come out with my head held high
He later arrived at the anti-graft court that ordered his arrest and beamed at supporters before entering the building to meet the court sheriff.
Revilla is one of three senators to have been accused so far of participating in a years-long pork-barrel scam in which politicians embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars meant for development projects.
President Benigno Aquino took office in 2010 on a promise of battling graft. He has made some progress, and enjoys popularity ratings of more than 70 per cent, although he has failed to eradicate the problem.
Revilla was later taken into detention at the national police headquarters, where he will be held during his trial. He has applied for bail.
Revilla faces life imprisonment and forfeiture of any assets he may have illegally acquired if found guilty of pocketing more than 224 million pesos (HK$39.5 million) from congressional funds from 2007 to 2010.