Manila - Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. firmly denied reports that he was apprehended by the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on the EDSA carousel busway in Mandaluyong. In a radio interview on Wednesday, Revilla clarified that he was in Cavite at the time of the alleged incident and typically commutes from south to the Senate, not passing through the EDSA busway.
According to Philippines News Agency, he was at home in Cavite following Senate budget hearings that concluded at 1 a.m. He criticized the MMDA for releasing reports involving his name without proper verification and expressed frustration over the impact on his reputation. Revilla declined to accept the apology of MMDA's Task Force Special Operations chief Ret. Col. Edison Nebrija, who admitted he was not present at the scene and based his actions on information provided by an enforcer. Revilla initially threatened to push for the recall of MMDA's 2024 budget but later accepted Nebrija and Acting MMDA Chairperson Romando "Don" Artes' apologies, stating he would no longer pursue the budget recall. The MMDA subsequently placed Nebrija under preventive suspension pending an investigation into the incident, which involved a white SUV with a "plate number 8" being stopped on the EDSA bus lane. The officer who apprehended the vehicle mistakenly reported seeing Revilla inside. Revilla emphasized his adherence to traffic laws and said he would have admitted the violation and faced penalties if he had been the one apprehended.