Senators Bong Revilla, Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, and 34 others charged before the office of ombudsman in their involvement to the 10 billion pork barrel fund, could possibly have their passports nullified.
The Justice Department is pushing for the revocation of passports of those charged with plunder and malfeasance when it formally asked the Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.
De Lima cited Sec 6, Article III of the Constitution and the Philippine Passport Act of 1996 that talks about national security in a 10-page letter-request directly written to DFA Secretary Alberto Del Rosario.
Cancelling their passports will prevent them from leaving the country, it is an "urgent and imperative need," De Lima said.
The possibility that the respondents will be in detention throughout the trial is high, having a strong probability that the respondents will leave the country in order to evade arrest, detention, and prosecution, De Lima explained.
"Premature and baseless," said Revilla and Estrada regarding the DOJ's request to have their passports cancelled.
"This is ridiculous unless this government is turning into a martial law regime," said Revilla's legal counsel Atty. Joel Bodegon in a statement.
