Ballot 11:
Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
LAKAS Christian-Muslim Democrats (CMD)
Age: 58 (born Sept. 25, 1966)
Highest educational attainment: Doctorate degrees (Honoris Causa) in Public Administration by the Cavite State University and in Humanities by the Nueva Vizcaya University.
Endorsed by: Marcos Jr. administration’s Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas
For three-time Sen. Bong Revilla Jr., “there is still much to be done.” He promises to lower the prices of goods, push for programs for farmers and fishermen, provide solutions to flood problems and lower the optional retirement age for government workers, among others.
Field of Expertise
- Authored the Mandatory Helmet Act, Open High School System Act, Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo Act, No Permit, No Exam Prohibition Act, Expanded Centenarian Act and Philippine New Passport Act.
Issues and Controversies
In 2013, Revilla and two other senators were implicated in the P10-billion pork barrel scam involving businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles. Revilla was accused of diverting his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) for 2006 to 2009 to dubious non-governmental organizations linked to Napoles, who allegedly gave him P224.5 million in kickbacks. The Ombudsman filed plunder and graft charges against the senators before the Sandiganbayan, leading to his arrest in 2014. He was detained throughout his plunder trial, which started in January 2017 and ended in August 2018. Revilla was released in December 2018 after the anti-graft court acquitted him of plunder but ordered him to return P124.5 million to the National Treasury. In 2021, he was cleared of the 16 charges of graft for insufficient evidence.
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Family Members in Government
Lani Mercado-Revilla
Relationship: Wife
Position/s held:
- Representative - Cavite, second district (2010-2016; 2022-2025)
- Mayor- Bacoor City (2016-2022)
- Seeking reelection
Bryan Revilla
Relationship: Son
Position/s held:
- Representative - AGIMAT Party List (2022-2025)
Ramon “Jolo” Revilla III
Relationship: Son
Position/s held:
- Representative- Cavite, first district (2022-2025)
- Vice Governor- Cavite (2013-2022)
- Chairperson- Barangay Panapaan, Bacoor, Cavite (2010-2013)
- Seeking reelection
Ram Revilla Bautista
Relationship: Son
Position/s held:
- Board Member- Cavite, second district (2022-2025)
- Running for Cavite vice governor
Ramon B. Revilla Sr.
Relationship: Father
Position/s held:
- Senator (1992-2004)
Strike Revilla
Relationship: Brother
Position/s held:
- Mayor - Bacoor City (2007-2016; 2022-2025)
- Representative - Cavite, second district (2016-2022)
- Provincial Board Member - Cavite, first district (1998-2004)
- Municipal Councilor - Bacoor (1995-1998)
- Board Member - Cavite, first district (1998-2005)
- Councilor - Bacoor (1995-1998)
- Board Director - Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (2005)
- Seeking reelection (lone candidate)
Marlon Bautista
Relationship: Brother
Position/s held:
Third Nominee, 1PACMAN Partylist (2019 - 2025)
Rowena Bautista- Mendiola
Relationship: Sister
Position/s held:
- Vice Mayor - Bacoor City (2022-2025)
- Councilor - Bacoor (2013-2022)
- Councilor - Imus (1998-1992)
- Seeking reelection (lone candidate)
Andrea Ynares
Relationship: Sister
Position/s held:
- Mayor- Antipolo City (2019-2022)
Robert Vincent Jude ‘Dudut’ Jaworski Jr.
Relationship: Nephew
Position/s held:
- Vice Mayor - Pasig City (2022-2025)
- Representative - Pasig City, lone district (2004-2007)
- Councilor- San Juan City (1995-1998)
- Seeking reelection
Gregorio Miguel ‘Igi’ Revilla Ocampo Jr.
Relationship: Nephew
Position/s held:
- Councilor- Imus City (2022-2025)
- Seeking reelection
Casimiro ‘Jun’ Ynares III
Relationship: Brother-in-law
Position/s held:
- Mayor- Antipolo City (2022-2025)
- Governor- Rizal (2007-2013)
- Seeking reelection
Robert Jaworkski
Relationship: Brother-in-law
Position/s held:
Senator (1998-2004)Where this candidate stands on top 5 concerns of the Filipino voter
- Among his primary programs is legislating for decent wages. He filed several across-the-board wage hike proposals throughout his Senate stint. He was among the co-authors of the P100 Daily Minimum Wage Increase Act of 2023 approved by the Senate in 2024 but has yet to be enacted into law.
- Co-author of the Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act signed into law in 2023, which serves as the country’s master plan on employment generation and recovery. The measure includes skilling, upskilling and reskilling workforces to improve their employability and competitiveness.
- Filed Senate Bill No. 1960, seeking to establish the Poverty Reduction Through Social Entrepreneurship (PRESENT) program.
- One of the senators who voted in favor of Senate Bill No. 2232 legitimizing and taxing the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations (POGOs) in 2021. In 2024, he changed his tune and said the “country will be better off without them” based on the findings from the legislative inquiries on POGOs.
- Joined 10 other senators who signed a resolution in 2021 condemning China’s illegal activities within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. He also called the water cannon incident in 2023 a “blatant disregard” of the Philippines’ autonomy and sovereignty.
- Principal author and co-sponsor of the Philippine Maritime Zones Act signed into law in 2024, which declares the country’s maritime zones in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
- Co-author of RA 12065 which establishes the country’s archipelagic sea lanes and regulates foreign ships and aircrafts passing through its archipelagic waters.
- In 2023, Revilla maintained that the Duterte administration’s war on drugs was “backed by the Filipino people” who “felt the results.”
- Defended fellow Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa and former president Rodrigo Duterte amid reports that the International Criminal Court (ICC) would be issuing warrants of arrest for those implicated in the drug war. He called the ICC “bullies driven by their own selfish interests” and its pursuit of the drug war crimes a “baseless persecution.”
- Urged the government to intensify its programs to make the country more climate-adaptive and climate-resilient. He filed several bills seeking to improve the country’s disaster preparedness and response, such as the Calamities’ Hazard Mitigation Program Act, the Language Accessibility of Public Information on Disasters Act and Gender Responsive and Inclusive Management Act of 2023, among others.
- Filed Senate Bill No. 686 in 2022 which seeks to assign a permanent disaster risk officer in every local government unit.
- Vowed to focus on providing solutions to the country’s flooding problem. Chaired the Committee on Public Works hearing on the perennial flooding caused by monsoon rains intensified by Super Typhoon Carina in August 2024. The hearing revealed that the country still lacks an integrated master plan for flood management.
Interesting Facts
- Legal surname was put on the spotlight this year after netizens questioned his placement on the senatorial candidates list. In 2009, a Cavite trial court branch approved the use of “Bong Revilla” as his registered family name, which moved it a lot higher in the ballots compared to his position if he uses “Revilla.” The Commission on Elections quickly clarified that they were just following the court’s decision.
- In 2023, a Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) official falsely claimed that Revilla was apprehended for illegally using the Edsa carousel busway. Revilla denied the allegation and confronted the official, who eventually apologized and was suspended.
- Credited his successful Senate bid in 2019 to his plunder acquittal and his “Budots ad” that went viral. The campaign ad showing him dancing to the electronic dance music genre drew mixed reactions from the public and became a subject of several memes and jokes.
- Garnered the highest number of votes among senatorial candidates in the 2010 elections, with 19,513,521.
- Admitted to having other children outside his marriage with Cavite Rep.Lani Mercado.