MANILA, Philippines\u2014An enraged Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. sought an investigation Saturday into the sudden departure of his half-sister Maria Ramona Bautista, a suspect in the murder of their 23-year-old brother Ramgen.<\/p>\n
The senator appeared more and more convinced that Ramona had something to do with the attack, which also wounded Ramgen\u2019s girlfriend Janelle Manahan, last October 29.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe guilty must be punished! The unwarranted flight of\u00a0\u00a0 Ramona\u00a0\u00a0 Bautista is a sign of guilt that she has knowledge and direct participation in the commission of the crime,\u201d he said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there are others involved, be they my half-brothers and sisters, they must bear the full force and weight of the law and suffer the … consequences of their involvement either as principals, accomplices, or accessories, as the case maybe.”<\/p>\n
Revilla questioned Ramona\u2019s departure for Hong Kong at around 9 p.m. Friday on board Cathay Pacific flight CX 902.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re not guilty, why would you leave?\u201d Revilla asked in Filipino in a phone interview with the Inquirer. \u201cAs they say, flight is an admission of guilt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Growing more emotional, he later said, \u201cIf the laws of man could not punish her, God will definitely punish her.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the statement, he asked police to \u201cinvestigate who are the people involved (in) and facilitated Ramona Bautista\u2019s flight outside of the country, and determine their legal accountability, if any.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will do everything within my power as a public servant that the rule of law must prevail, and justice must be served, regardless of whoever gets hurt,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Revilla told the Inquirer that he\u00a0 wanted to know particularly how Ramona managed to leave the country and where she was really planning to stay.<\/p>\n
Asked if Hong Kong might have been a jump-off point to another destination, he said without elaborating: \u201cI know that her husband is from Turkey.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to know where she was really headed, how long she planned to be away, who facilitated her departure. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Revilla, who was earlier accused of coddling Ramona, said Ramona\u2019s mother, Genalyn, and her lawyer should answer for her departure.<\/p>\n
He said it was unlikely that Ramona\u2019s camp would seek his help because it was supposedly blaming him for the arrest of 18-year-old Ramon Joseph, another half-brother accused of masterminding the killing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat side (of the family) is mad at me because of what happened to RJ. They\u2019re blaming me. That\u2019s why they would never approach me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Revilla earlier came to Ramona\u2019s assistance after she was taken to the Las Pi\u00f1as police, a few hours after the attack in her family\u2019s residence in BF Homes, Para\u00f1aque City.<\/p>\n
Ramona then claimed that the assailants abducted her and later left her unharmed near a shopping mall on the Alabang-Zapote Road in Las Pi\u00f1as. On Friday,\u00a0 she admitted in a television interview that she had made up the story because she was\u00a0 \u201cin shock.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked to comment on Ramona\u2019s fake abduction, the senator said: \u201cShe lied. What you\u2019re thinking is what we are thinking as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Revilla said Ramona should have realized the \u201cgravity\u201d of her departure.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is facing a very serious case. The implications are grave. She\u2019s making things even more difficult for those left behind, especially her brother who is now in jail. What happens to him now? With her departure, it now appears that the case is really strong against him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Revilla said it was bad enough that siblings had been linked to the killing of Ramgen. Worse, he said, was that Ramona decided to leave \u201cinstead of confronting the case against her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLalo nilang pinasasakit ang ulo ko,\u201d said the senator, who has lately become the face of the Revilla clan amid the controversy.<\/p>\n
The senator poured out his sentiments to the family patriarch, former senator Ramon Revilla Sr., the other day, saying: \u201cParang pasan ko ang buong mundo (It\u2019s as if I\u2019m bearing the entire world).\u201d He said his father told him to hang on.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are just after the truth and what is right. It was Ramgen who is the victim here. I don\u2019t care if it would later turn out that the perpetrator was a half-brother or a half-sister. We want justice for Ramgen and we will not stop until we get it,\u201d Revilla Jr. said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An enraged Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. sought an investigation Saturday into the sudden departure of his half-sister Maria Ramona Bautista, a suspect in the murder of their 23-year-old brother Ramgen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,45],"tags":[89,29545,91,126,29547,29227,512],"byline":[185],"source":[206078],"column":[],"editor":[],"videographer":[],"position":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n