Press Release
February 17, 2010

COMELEC DISMISSES DISQUALIFICATION CASE VS BONG REVILLA

SENATOR Bong Revilla expressed relief after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) dismissed the disqualification case filed against him by a private citizen allegedly for misrepresenting his candidacy by using Bong Revilla as his surname.

In a promulgation held Tuesday, the poll body's 2nd division dismissed the case filed by Marie Feji for lack of merit. It allowed the reelectionist senator to use Bong Revilla as his registered surname.

It cited the Cavite regional trial court's decision granting the lawmaker's petition to change his name from Ramon "Bong" Bautista Revilla Jr. to Ramon B. Bong Revilla Jr. The lower court's October 2009 resolution declared that his first name is Ramon Jr., Bautista is his middle name and his surname is Bong Revilla.

In a statement, the senator expressed elation on the Comelec's decision to finally junk the "nuisance" case that questioned Bong Revilla as his surname. "I was confident that the disqualification case filed against me will be dismissed. I cannot be accused of misrepresenting because my legal name is supported by the court," said Revilla, who have filed more 500 proposed bills during 13th and 14th Congress, 103 of which were passed into law.

When he filed his certificate of candidacy in 2004, he used Ramon B. Bong Revilla Jr. Even the Supreme Court upheld the commission's decision by recognizing his surname as Bong Revilla. The Comelec allowed that the votes cast for Bong or Bong Revilla would be counted in favor of the senator.

"I hope this issue will be finally laid to rest and not be resurrected for politicking. Let's have a clean campaign. Our voting public is already tired of dirty tactics and false accusations during elections," the reelectionist candidate said.

As a result, the name Bong Revilla, Ramon Jr. is 8th in the list of senatorial candidates in Comelec's official ballot.

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