Actor-Senator Ramon Bautista Bong Revilla Jr. has been in governance for 30 years now, following the footsteps of his father, the late actor and former Senator Ramon Revilla. The Ang Panday actor has mostly focused his political career on initiating policies and programs to curb drug use and trafficking in the country. For the midterm elections, he hopes to secure his senate seat for another term.
Current position: Senator (2004-2016, 2019-present)
Education: Diplomas in Local Governance (1998) and Philippine Legislative Institutions and Processes (2003) from the Development Academy of the Philippines
Previous occupations: Videogram Regulatory Board Chairman (2002-2004), Cavite Governor (1998-2001), Cavite Vice Governor (1995-1998)
Affiliated parties: Lakas-CMD (since 1994), Agimat Partylist
Political Stances
Governance
In 2013, Revilla was implicated in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or “pork barrel” scam, where the government was found to have been defrauded of P10 billion by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles and several lawmakers. The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed plunder cases against former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, incumbent Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, and Revilla. In 2014, Revilla surrendered to the Sandiganbayan after it issued a warrant of arrest in relation to the plunder case. He was detained in 2017 and acquitted of plunder in 2018. He continues to deny his involvement in the scam.
He has authored and sponsored several laws to strengthen the capacity and mandate of law enforcement agencies, such as the Cybercrime Prevention Act, Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, and a law providing law enforcement with free legal aid. He also co-authored the Anti-Terror Law of 2005.
Revilla is one of the senators to vote for the passage of the law imposing taxes on Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in 2021. However, after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the ban on POGOs in July 2024, Revilla said, “The country will be better off without them.”
Economy
Revilla has no known views on economic reform. However, he has backed measures like the Expanded Social Pension Act, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the Magna Carta for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the Rice Tariffication Law, sin tax increases, the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) law, and the Salary Standardization Law.
Human Rights & Social Justice
Revilla was among 19 senators to sign a committee report recommending the passage of the SOGIE Equality Bill in 2022. He also co-authored legislation like the Magna Carta of Women, the Anti-Photo and Video Voyeurism Act, the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act, and the law decriminalizing vagrancy. However, he remains undecided on the Divorce Bill.
Revilla has also advocated for indigenous rights, introducing a bill establishing resource centers for indigenous peoples (IPs) in 2019 and the Community Intellectual Rights (CIR) of Indigenous Cultural Communities bill in 2021. During a plenary session in 2022, Revilla said, “The respect and importance we give to our IP brothers and sisters reflect our love and respect for our history, heritage, and traditions.”
He has expressed support for the government’s anti-drug initiatives, especially former President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. In 2019, he said that drug trafficking cases merit the death penalty.
Healthcare
As the Cavite Vice Governor, Revilla chaired the Cavite Multi-Agency Anti-Drug Council (CMAC), which sought to curb substance abuse at the grassroots level. In 2019, he introduced a bill seeking to establish rehabilitation centers in Bacoor City, Cavite.
His website says he “pioneered the Kalusugan Ating Pangalagaan (KAP) Program,” which provides financial medical assistance to patients with “social and economic disadvantages.”
In 2022, he filed the Kalusugan Ang Prayoridad Bill, which would grant institutionalized benefits for all public and private healthcare workers. In 2023, he also called on fellow legislators to craft policies that would entice health workers to stay in the Philippines.
National Security & Foreign Policy
In 2023, Revilla called the International Criminal Court (ICC) “bullies driven by their own selfish interests” amid its investigation into human rights abuses related to the war on drugs. Revilla insisted that Duterte and Senator Bato Dela Rosa, who were being investigated by the ICC, are only accountable to the Philippines and its laws. “Kung mayroong pananagutan, sa batas ng ating bansa dapat managot, hindi sa mga dayuhan,” he said.
Revilla says that the United States’ commitment to its Mutual Defense Treaty obligations will keep the Philippines secure, and that Marcos’ trips abroad are crucial to fostering relations with other countries. “The [foreign] investments the president secured will usher in jobs and economic activity that will further contribute to the good outlook for our economy,” he said in a statement.
He has also expressed strong disapproval of the presence of Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea. In 2021, he questioned China’s allyship amid territorial disputes. “Ang tunay kasing magkaibigan ay naggagalangan, binibigyan ng payo at tumatanggap ng payo para magkaintindihan,” he said, adding that it was “high time for the Philippines to assess its friendship with China, which has repeatedly violated our sovereign rights.”
Environment & Disaster Preparedness
In 2020, Revilla introduced the Sustainable Forest Management bill, which sought to rehabilitate and protect the country’s forest ecosystems with the involvement of “people who
manage, conserve, and benefit from” forest resources. He also encouraged the public to participate in tree-planting initiatives and reforestation efforts.
He also introduced a bill modernizing the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), which would increase its capacity to “provide timely, reliable and quality information and service by upgrading their existing equipment, facilities, and systems.”
Disinformation
In 2022, Revilla introduced a bill seeking to amend the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 to include the creation and dissemination of fake news as an offense.
Infrastructure Development
Revilla authored the Agricultural and Fisheries Mechanization Law, which established the National Agri-fishery Mechanization Program under the Department of Agriculture. The program aims to support the development and manufacture of agricultural and fisheries machinery by providing research grants and credit to the private sector.
He also sponsored a bill to establish District Engineering Offices. “We are empowering our LGUs so that they will be able to address exigencies in their respective localities,” he said in his sponsorship speech. “This will make services accessible to the localities.”
Youth & Culture
Revilla co-authored various bills to promote youth welfare, like the Rugby Boys Act, the Special Protections against Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC) Law, and the Open High School System Act.
In 2022, he introduced the Traditional Filipino Writing Systems bill, which sought to mandate the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to incorporate writing systems like Baybayin in “relevant subjects” in schools.
Revilla drew flak in 2019 for using a budots track by DJ Love in an advertisement for his senatorial candidacy. DJ Love revealed in the documentary Budots: The Craze that Revilla had used the track without his permission.
Sara Duterte Impeachment
His relatives, Cavite Representatives Lani Mercado and Jolo Revilla and Agimat Party-list Rep. Bryan Revilla, did not vote to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte. Sen. Revilla himself has not publicly commented on the impeachment.
