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Ramon Bautista Bong Revilla Jr. (; born Jose Mari Mortel Bautista; September 25, 1966) is a Filipino actor, director, producer, television presenter and politician who served as a senator from 2004 to 2016 and again from 2019 to 2025.
The son of actor-politician Ramon Revilla Sr., he himself became an Action hero in the 1980s and 1990s as Ramon " Bong" Revilla Jr., starring in the Alyas Pogi film series as the titular policeman Henry Cruz. He started his political career in Cavite, serving as vice governor (1995–1998) and later governor (1998–2001). He was the chairman of the Videogram Regulatory Board (now the Optical Media Board) from 2002 to 2004.
Revilla was first elected to the Senate in 2004. He successfully ran for a second term and topped the senatorial race in 2010. His alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam led the Sandiganbayan to issue an arrest warrant against him and other co-accused on June 20, 2014. Within hours, Revilla surrendered before the anti-graft court.
Bong Revilla was acquitted of plunder and released on December 7, 2018, but was required to return to the government () in civil liability. He stood accused of 16 counts of graft for his alleged role in the transfer of ₱517 million (US$ million) of his discretionary funds to bogus foundations until all cases were dismissed by Sandiganbayan on 2021; however, he has yet to return the required amount he was asked to give back before his acquittal. He successfully ran for a third term in the Senate in 2019 and sought a re-election in 2025 but lost.
In 1977, Bong Revilla finished his elementary education at Jesus Good Shepherd School in Palico II, Imus, Cavite. He finished his secondary education at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, California, United States, in 1982. Ramon Revilla encouraged Bong Revilla to be a doctor, but the younger Revilla committed to pursuing his acting career.
In the early 1980s, Revilla as a 14-year old featured in the film Bianong Bulag which also starred his father and Charito Solis. The younger Revilla played the role of the young version of the titular protagonist. The father and son also acted in the 1983 film Dugong Buhay.
After Dugong Buhay's production was wrapped up, the elder Revilla introduced his son to Lolit Solis who has become Bong Revilla's talent manager ever since. Solis' first project for Bong Revilla was a work by Tower Productions.
Revilla starred in the 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival entry, Si Agimat, si Enteng Kabisote at si Ako.
Revilla's acting career was put onto hiatus in 2014 due to being arrested for graft and plunder charges. He was acquitted five years later and re-elected as a Senator in the May 2019 election. Revilla returned to acting under GMA Network and was reportedly filming for the drama fantasy television series Agimat ng Agila in December 2019.
In April 2024, the filming for Birador: Alyas Pogi 4 with Revilla began. The upcoming media will mark Revilla's return to acting in feature films.
As vice governor, he chaired Cavite's Provincial Task Force Against Illegal Gambling named "Task Force Sugal na Bawal", Cavite Multi-Agency Anti-Drug Council, and Task Force Bantay Likas Yaman. His anti-drug efforts earned him recognitions from the International Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association, Inc. He also founded the Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. Foundation Inc. and the RRJ People's Organization Inc., where he served as chairman and president and chairman, respectively.
As governor, Revilla also chaired various civic organizations such as the Cavite Clean and Green project, Region IV Peace and Order Council, Calabarzon Development Council, Cavite Provincial Peace and Order Council, Provincial Development Council, and the Cavite Provincial Tourism Council. He also founded the Cavite Rescue 161, an emergency response unit of the province. During his term as governor, the Cavite Computer Center and the Cavite-Korea Friendship Hospital were established, while projects such as the Cavite Sports Complex and the Cavite Convention Center were commenced. The Proposed Conceptual Provincial Development Plan of Cavite, also called Vision 2020, was also furnished during this term.
He completed a Special Local Chief Executive Program on Local Governance at the Development Academy of the Philippines in Pasig in 1998. He was given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Press Club in 1998 and was named as Most Outstanding Governor of Gawad Papuri Awards in 1999 and Most Outstanding Governor of the Department of Health Sandugo National Program in 2000.
During the Second EDSA Revolution from January 16 to 20, 2001, Revilla's political career deteriorated when he called for the resignation of his godfather, President Joseph Estrada, who was impeached and removed from office due to graft and corruption charges, at the height of the protest. In his May 2001 reelection bid for governor, he was trounced by then-Representative Ayong Maliksi by a wide margin.
He returned to his acting career and became a TV actor in GMA Network's sitcom Idol Ko si Kap.
He also completed his course on Philippine Legislative Institutions and Processes at the Development Academy of the Philippines in November 2003.
During the 14th Congress, Revilla was named as chair of the Senate Committees on Public Works and on Public Services, which he used to push his travel safety advocacies. He authored the Mandatory Helmet Act, which obliged all motorcycle riders, including back riders, to wear standard protective helmet to reduce motorcycle-related accidents in the country. Because of the said road safety measure, he was named Safety Ambassador both by the Land Transportation Office and Suzuki Philippines Inc. During the 15th Congress, he pursued policies on social justice, travel safety, lower tax, community empowerment and infrastructure development. He also pushed for the passage of his separate bills that would grant wage increase for private sector and government employees.
He was reelected for a second consecutive term with the highest number of votes in 2010, serving until 2016. On May 29, 2012, Revilla was one of the 20 senator-judges who voted to convict Chief Justice Renato Corona.
The Commission on Audit, in its two-year investigation released on August 16, 2013, reported on the questionable release of the Priority Development Assistance Fund by 12 senators, including Revilla, and 180 representatives of Congress. A month later, the National Bureau of Investigation filed plunder cases against Revilla, Enrile, and Estrada.
On January 20, 2014, in his privilege speech to the Senate, he criticized the Aquino administration, revealing that he was talked to by the President along with then-Transportation and Communications Secretary Mar Roxas and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad to convince him to convict the Chief Justice, Renato Corona.
The Office of the Ombudsman, on April 1, 2014, found probable cause to indict Revilla, Enrile, Estrada, and Napoles with plunder, and filed plunder charges before the Sandiganbayan on June 6, 2014.
On June 9, 2014, Revilla delivered a second privilege speech entitled " Salamat, Kaibigan", as charges were filed against him in the Sandiganbayan. On June 20, the Sandiganbayan issued a warrant of arrest against Revilla and more than 30 others. Revilla proceeded to the Sandiganbayan to surrender, and he chose to be detained at the PNP Custodial Center at Camp Crame, Quezon City.
The Sandiganbayan suspended Revilla from public office and his senior aide Richard Cambe on August 4, 2014, for 90 days. Revilla's bank accounts were frozen in 2015 as a consequence of the alleged involvement in the scam.
His trial for plunder was rescheduled several times due to various motions filed by Revilla. The trial finally began on June 22, 2017.
As part of his campaign, Revilla released a campaign video that featured himself and a group of children and his son Jolo dancing to budots. Revilla describe his decision to dance as part of his campaign as an "accident" and said he was encouraged by his son Jolo to do so. The campaign went viral. He was elected to the Senate, placing eleventh in the 2019 elections. He credits his acquittal and the budots ad campaign for his successful election.
In September 2021, the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) Law, which regulated and legalized POGOs nationwide, was signed into law by President Duterte. Senator Revilla voted in favor of the controversial law that legalized gambling corporations known for illegal activities, ranging from tax evasions to harboring illegal Chinese nationals.
On November 17, 2021, he offered Davao City Mayor and 2022 vice presidential aspirant Sara Duterte the chairmanship of Lakas-CMD, which she later accepted, succeeding him. He later became one of the party's co-chairpersons. Revilla chaired the Senate Committee on Civil Service, Government Reorganization and Professional Regulation and the Senate Committee on Public Works.
In December 2022, Revilla sponsored a Senate bill proposing to lower the age by which senior citizen benefits can be enjoyed, from 60 to 56 years old. Revilla celebrated his 56th birthday September of this year, which he marked with a month-long celebration, which included grocery, cash, and other giveaways.
On May 19, 2023, Revilla was reinstalled as chairman of Lakas–CMD, replacing Sara Duterte, who left the party earlier that day.
In 2024, Revilla confirmed fathering illegitimate children but never revealed their names nor their mothers. It was previously confirmed that Revilla had an affair with Lovely Guzman, a non-showbiz personality whom he had dated before marrying Mercado, and, together, they have one son named Luigi (born Francis Luigi Guzman in 1992). Guzman in 1999 later married Patrick Joseph Santos, who also legally adopted Luigi. Revilla's relationship with Guzman rekindled after he lost his daughter with Mercado, named Maria Alexandra, who died just 26 days after birth due to a heart condition resulted by the use of contraceptives. Mercado chose to stay with him due to her love for him and their children.
Revilla is the fourth of the seven children of actor and former Philippine senator Ramon Revilla Sr. and Azucena Mortel Bautista. He is the younger brother of Marlon Bautista, a former nominee of 1-Pacman Party List, and the older brother of incumbent Bacoor mayor Strike Revilla and former Antipolo mayor Andrea Bautista-Ynares, who is married to former Rizal governor Casimiro "Jun" Ynares III. He also has at least 32 paternal half-siblings, including actor Ram Revilla, who was murdered in 2011.
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Political career
Vice-governor of Cavite
In June 1994, Revilla became a member of the then-ruling party Lakas–NUCD, which drafted him to be their gubernatorial candidate in Cavite. According to him, it was President Fidel V. Ramos who first convinced him to enter politics and invited him to join the party. However, he was invited by National Bureau of Investigation director Epimaco Velasco, who also a Lakas member to be his running mate instead in the province. In the 1995 local elections, Velasco and Revilla won as governor and vice governor, beating the tandem of Juanito "Johnny" Remulla Sr. and Danilo Lara.
Governor of Cavite
In February 1998, Velasco resigned as governor of Cavite when he was appointed as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, replacing then senatorial candidate Robert Barbers. Revilla then assumed the governorship of the province. In the May 1998 local elections, he won a full term for the position of governor.
Chair of the Videogram Regulatory Board
In July 2002, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo appointed Revilla as chair of the Videogram Regulatory Board (now Optical Media Board). Revilla launched a massive campaign against the rampant smuggling and selling of fake VCDs all over the country. The Board was able to conduct 3480 major operations including routine inspections throughout the Philippines which seized goods worth over , convicted 21 optical disc pirates, 2 videotape pirates and 5 large-scale distributors and retailers. He was given a Plaque of International Recognition for Efforts Against Piracy by the Motion Picture Association of America on July 23, 2003, and the Huwarang Lingkod Bayan Award by the Consumers League of the Philippines Foundation, Inc. on October 25, 2003.
Senator
In February 2004, Revilla resigned as chair of the VRB and recommended Edu Manzano as his replacement. His father, Ramon Revilla Sr., ended his term as senator on June 30, 2004, upon being term-limited by the 1987 Philippine Constitution after serving two consecutive terms since 1992. He ran for the position of senator under the administration K-4 coalition. He won and received the second highest number of votes from the national electorate.
Potential presidential bid
Despite the weakness of his party Lakas due to the arrest of former president and Pampanga 2nd district Representative Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Revilla became chair of the party on February 5, 2013. He succeeded Albay 1st district Representative Edcel Lagman and was to potentially run as standard bearer of the party in the 2016 presidential election. On May 13, 2013, the day of the 2013 elections, the Cavite Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation raided the house of Revilla, and according to Revilla, he was harassed by the group of Senator Panfilo Lacson and former Governor Ayong Maliksi.
Involvement in the pork barrel scam
After the 2013 elections, he was allegedly involved in the Priority Development Assistance Fund scam, along with Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Senator Jinggoy Estrada, contributing to entrepreneur Janet Lim-Napoles' bogus foundations.
Acquittal, ongoing cases, and return as senator
In 2018, Revilla through his wife, then Bacoor Mayor Lani Mercado, filed his candidacy for senator for the 2019 elections, with the endorsement of Presidential Daughter and de facto First Lady Sara Duterte, who is the leader of the political coalition Hugpong ng Pagbabago in order to include him to her 14 (later 16)-candidate slate for the Senate election in May 2019, which was criticized by opposition coalition Tindig Pilipinas due to his involvement in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam with Jinggoy Estrada. On December 7, 2018, the Sandiganbayan acquitted Revilla of plunder in the PDAF scam. He still faces charges for 16 counts of graft, for which he posted bail. His chief aide Richard Cambe and PDAF scam mastermind Janet Napoles were convicted.
Failed reelection bid in 2025
Revilla sought re-election in the 2025 Philippine Senate election under the Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas coalition of President Bongbong Marcos. Dismissed by critics as Mr. Budots, Revilla says he had 343 passed bills and highlighted laws which benefited teachers, students, and senior citizens.
Revilla lost, placing 14th in the official tally. He admitted to being sad on the loss and believes that misinformation around his PDAF case was the reason why he lost. With the support of his counsel, Raymond Fortun, Revilla plans to file cyberlibel charges against online content creators who mostly posted critical content against Revilla two weeks in the lead up to the election. The consistent position of content creators is that Revilla must return the to the national treasury, however Revilla's camp dispute this since he was not found to be criminally liable for plunder he is no longer required to return the funds. They cite Article 100 of the Revised Penal Code, which states that "every person criminally liable for a felony is also civilly liable."
Personal life
Ramon "Bong" Bautista Bong Revilla Jr. (after his 2009 legal name change) married Lani Mercado (Jesusa Victoria Hernandez-Bautista), an actress and incumbent representative of the 2nd district of Cavite that comprises only Bacoor, in a civil wedding in 1986. They have seven children, namely:
Honors and awards
Entertainment awards
2001 PMPC Star Awards for Television Best Comedy Actor Idol Ko si Kap 2009 Best Educational Program Host Kap's Amazing Stories 2009 Metro Manila Film Festival Best Actor Ang Panday 2011 GMMSF Box-Office Entertainment Awards Box-Office Kings (with Vic Sotto) "42nd Box-Office Entertainment Awards honors outstanding actors and actresses of 2010". Pep.ph. Retrieved May 21, 2014. Si Agimat at Si Enteng Kabisote
Honorary doctorates
Two universities have conferred Revilla with honorary degree:
Other recognitions
Filmography
Film
1973 Tiagong Akyat 1983 Dugong Buhay Alvaro 1984 Pieta, Ang Ikalawang Aklat (Pieta, the Second Book) Noel 1985 Sa Dibdib ng Sierra Madre Manuel Celeste Gang Mortemer Marcelo 1986 Beloy Montemayor Beloy Montemayor Isa Lang ang Dapat Mabuhay Anak ng Supremo Masyong Bagwisa Jr.: Bodyguard Masyong Bagwisa Jr. Agaw-Armas Benjie Cordillera Lt. Tuglao Sgt. Villapando: A.W.O.L. Sgt. Villapando Boboy Tibayan: Tigre ng Cavite Boboy Tibayan Payaso 1987 Anak ng Lupa Hector Cris Boy Tornado Boy Tornado 1988 Dongalo Massacre Lost Command Lt. Roland Briones Ulysses "Boboy" Alega Iyo ang Batas, Akin ang Katarungan Dante Reyes Jockey T'yan Ulysses "Boboy" Alega Daniel Moreno 1989 Florencio Diño: Public Enemy No. 1 of Caloocan Florencio Diño Moises Platon Moises Platon Isang Bala, Isang Buhay Daniel 1990 Urbanito Dizon: The Most Notorious Gangster in Luzon Urbanito Dizon Bala at Rosario Armand Apo: Kingpin ng Maynila Lt. Carding Labrador Pat. Henry Cruz 1991 Onyong Majikero Onyong Manong Gang Brando Captain Jaylo: Batas sa Batas Capt. Reynaldo Jaylo Leon ng Maynila Lt. Col. Romeo Maganto 1992 Alyas Pogi 2 Pat. Henry Cruz Hanggang May Buhay Sgt. Alex Aragon Pangako Sa'yo Lt. Benjie Cuenco 1993 Dugo ng Panday Flavio Adan Ronquillo Sala sa Init, Sala sa Lamig Bingo Ako ang Katarungan: Lt. Napoleon M. Guevarra Lt. Napoleon Guevarra 1994 Relax Ka Lang, Sagot Kita Lt. Daniel Santiago Iukit Mo sa Bala Dr. Roberto "Bobby" Guerrero Walang Matigas Na Pulis sa Matinik Na Misis Capt. Bartolome "Tolome" Reynaldo 1995 Pustahan Tayo, Mahal Mo Ako Dante Aguilar Batas Ko ang Katapat Mo Lt. Abner Sandoval Wilson Sorronda: Leader Kuratong Baleleng's Solid Group Ang Titser Kong Pogi Joey Perez 1996 SPO4 Jaime Santiago Pag-ibig Ko sa Iyo'y Totoo Lt. Mario Romero 1997 Kung Marunong Kang Magdasal Umpisahan Mo Na Lt. Alex Cuevo Yes Darling: Walang Matigas Na Pulis... 2 Major Bartolome "Tolome" Reynaldo Sabi Mo Mahal Mo Ako, Wala ng Bawian Capt. Gerry Mercado Buhay Mo'y Buhay Ko Rin Insp. Dave Gomez 1998 Ben Delubyo Capt. Benjamin Fajardo Pat. Henry Cruz 1999 Pepeng Agimat Pepeng Agimat 2000 Minsan Ko Lang Sasabihin Alex Sembrano 2002 Mahal Kita, Final Answer Nino Pinlac Kilabot at Kembot Leon Ang Agimat: Anting-anting ni Lolo Paolo 2003 Bertud ng Putik Gabriel Captain Barbell Captain Barbell 2005 Exodus 2006 Marco 2007 Resiklo Commander Sarmiento 2009 Ang Panday Panday 2010 Si Agimat at si Enteng Kabisote Agimat 2011 Ang Panday 2 Panday 2012 Si Agimat, si Enteng at si Ako Agimat TBA Lagot Ka sa Tatay Ko TBA Birador: Alyas Pogi 4 Henry Cruz TBA Untitled Brillante Mendoza film
Television
2000–2005 Idol Ko si Kap Kap Emilio Noble 2005–2007 Abel 2007–2014 Kap's Amazing Stories Host 2009–2010 Felipe Dimaanta Sr. 2013 Indio Malaya/Simeon/Indio 2019 Magandang Buhay Guest 2021–2022 Agimat ng Agila Gabriel Labrador 2023–2025 Walang Matigas Na Pulis sa Matinik Na Misis Police Maj. Bartolome "Bart"/“Tolome” Reynaldo 2023 Idol ko si Bong: Bong Revilla's 50th Showbiz Anniversary Himself
Producer
Notes
External links
Categories: Www.bongrevillajr.ph Official Website, 1966 Births, Living People, Arroyo Administration Personnel, Comedians From Cavite, Comedians From Manila, Filipino Male Child Actors, Filipino Actor-politicians, Filipino Film Directors, Filipino Film Producers, Filipino Male Comedians, Filipino Roman Catholics, Gma Network People, Governors Of Cavite, Politicians From Cavite, Heads Of Government Agencies Of The Philippines, Lakas–cmd Politicians, Male Actors From Cavite, Male Actors From Manila, People From Bacoor, Bong, Senators Of The 13th Congress Of The Philippines, Senators Of The 14th Congress Of The Philippines, Senators Of The 15th Congress Of The Philippines, Senators Of The 16th Congress Of The Philippines, Senators Of The 18th Congress Of The Philippines, Senators Of The 19th Congress Of The Philippines, Filipino Male Film Actors, Filipino Male Television Actors
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