Actor-politician Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. is taking legal action against individuals and groups allegedly behind the spread of fake news on social media, which he and his camp believe contributed to his failure to secure a Senate seat in the 2025 midterm elections.
Revilla, who ranked 14th in the senatorial race with 11,980,023 votes, fell just two spots short of the Magic 12. His legal counsel, Atty. Raymond Fortun, announced on Monday that the outgoing senator will be filing cyber libel cases against those responsible for disseminating false claims online, particularly posts suggesting that Revilla had been convicted and ordered to return ₱124.5 million in pork barrel funds.
“This is a vicious lie with clear and malevolent intent to damage Senator Revilla’s good name and reputation,” Fortun said, referencing misleading content that circulated widely during the campaign season.
Fortun clarified that Revilla was acquitted in 2018 and 2021 of plunder charges filed before the Sandiganbayan, and therefore not held civilly liable to return any funds. The anti-graft court ruled that there was a “glaring absence of evidence” proving that Revilla personally benefited from the misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).
Despite this, social media posts falsely claimed he had been ordered to return the ₱124.5 million—allegations his legal team believes were a significant factor in swaying public opinion against him.
“Senator Revilla had high hopes that the public would continue to trust his commitment to serve. Unfortunately, this aspiration was derailed by insidious disinformation,” Fortun said.
Revilla plans to file between five to ten cyber libel cases, initially, and has sought the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to unmask anonymous perpetrators online.
The 57-year-old actor-turned-politician had been seeking a third Senate term under the administration coalition Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas. His defeat marks a rare loss for a political figure long considered a staple in national elections since his first Senate victory in 2004.
Despite his disappointment, Revilla is reportedly determined to defend his and his family’s name, and hopes to set a precedent against the abuse of social media platforms for character assassination.
“It is his hope that doing so would discourage the use of anonymity or digital platforms to malign others without consequence,” Fortun emphasized.
As of now, the identities of those being sued have not been publicly disclosed.
