BONG REVILLA: BRING RAMONA BACK TO COUNTRY TO FACE CHARGES
[PHOTO COURTESY OF ALLIWAN.COM WORDPRESS - From left: Siblings Ramona, Ramgen, and RJ Revilla-Bautista. Photos from http://aliwanavenue.wordpress.com]
MANILA, NOVEMBER 7, 2011 (BULLETIN) Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. Sunday pressed his appeal to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to use all legal and diplomatic means to bring back his half-sister Ramona Bautista to the country to face the murder charges in connection with the death of their brother Ramgen.
Revilla made the call after Bautista flew to Hong Kong Friday night apparently on the way to Istanbul, Turkey.
"I am making an appeal to the Department of Foreign Affairs to exert legal and diplomatic efforts and to the Philippine National Police (PNP) to coordinate with the Interpol (International Police), to bring Ramona back to the country and face our justice system," Revilla said in a statement.
The DFA yesterday said it will cancel Bautista's passport only after a court order has been issued against her.
In a televised interview last Saturday, Revilla said he suspected Bautista might have joined her husband in Turkey. He revealed that she married a Turk when she was 19, to the consternation of their father, former Sen. Ramon Revilla Sr.
The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has confirmed that Bautista flew to Hong Kong Friday.
In her pre-departure card, Bautista indicated that her destination was Istanbul. The bureau she had no "return ticket."
Bautista left the country right after changing her earlier statement that she was kidnapped by her brother's killers and left near a mall in Las Piñas City.
Bautista, who is implicated in the murder along with another brother, Ramon Joseph, said she was not in a right state of mind and wanted to save herself when she gave her earlier statement.
Bautista has also pointed to Ramgen's personal assistant, Ronaldo Ancajas, as the one who murdered the actor.
Senator Revilla has described Bautista's leaving the country as a "sign of guilt."
"We are dismayed over the reported departure of Ramona for Hong Kong while the investigation is still on-going. At the very least, she owes not only our family but an entire nation, appalled by a gruesome crime that has been committed, a clear explanation on why she fled the country," he said.
Revilla called on Genelyn Magsaysay, the mother of Ramgen, to cooperate and convince her daughter to come home.
In a recent interview, the senator admitted that his relationship with the Bautistas had become especially strained when he did not prevent investigators from bringing in Ramon Joseph for questioning.
DFA Spokesperson Raul Hernandez said that because the Philippines has no extradition treaty with Turkey, the DFA will ask the help of Interpol (International Police) in locating and bringing home Bautista.
Deputy Presidential Spokeswoman Abigail Valte said the pursuit of the suspects in the Ramgen case is a "law enforcement issue" best handled by the police.
"We will leave up to the PNP on their next course of action in this case," Valte said over state-run Radyo ng Bayan when asked if the Palace will help bring back Bautista to the country. (With an additional report from Genalyn D. Kabiling)
Bong Revilla: Ramona's flight to HK is a 'sign of guilt'
GMANEWS TV - An agitated Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. told a national TV audience Friday night that he was "as shocked as everyone" that his half-sister Ramona Bautista, 21, had taken a flight to Hong Kong as accusations swirled around her that she was involved in the murder of her older brother Ramgen.
"It's a sign of guilt," Bong Revilla told Saksi news anchor Vicky Morales. "Bakit siya aalis in the first place? Kung talagang wala siyang kasalanan, dapat harapin niya ito."
Revilla denied that Ramona was ever in his custody, and revealed that his half-sister's mother, Genelyn, had become angry at him for not stopping the police from arresting her son, RJ Bautista, another suspect in plotting the October 28 crime.
Bong Revilla, Ramgen, Ramona and RJ all share the same father, screen legend and former senator Ramon Revilla Sr., now nearly incapacitated due to illness. With his father inactive, Bong has assumed de facto leadership of the sprawling clan of some 72 children sired by his father. The slain Ramgen, 23, was an actor too and supposedly a favorite of the elder Revilla, 84.
Ramona was placed at the scene of the crime by Ramgen's girlfriend, Janelle Manahan, who told police that she pleaded with Ramona to call for help but did not do so.
Ramgen's personal assistant stated in an affidavit to the police that he spotted Ramona and RJ exiting the subdivision on foot after the crime as if nothing had happened.
Ramona later told the police that she was abducted by Ramgen's killers and was driven around before being let down outside a Las Piñas mall. Ramona in an interview with ANC on Friday retracted the abduction story and said that she was too shocked to respond to Janelle's plea for help.
Bong Revilla said that Ramona had told him the same story during the last conversation they had in a Las Piñas police station. He revealed that his entire family was shocked to learn of Ramona's retraction, followed by her sudden flight toHong Kong.
"Nalulungkot kami. Dapat hinarap niya ito. Pero (long pause) wala. Ano pang iisipin ng lahat ng tao? Ano pang iisipin ng buong pamilya sa ginawa niya?" Revilla said. "Namatay kapatid naming si Ramgen, dapat panagutan. Kung sino mang may sala dapat makulong."
Revilla's tone was one of resignation mixed with grief, much different from his combative public statement emailed to media on Tuesday expressing disbelief that anyone in his family was a suspect. Rumors abounded that Revilla would use his considerable influence to protect his siblings from prosecution.
By Friday, with the corroborating testimony of at least three witnesses, and Ramona's flight out of the country, Revilla seemed to have come to the same conclusion as many fixated followers of the unfolding family drama. – Howie Severino/TJD, GMA News
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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