Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
(UPDATE) THE Office of the Ombudsman has filed plunder charges at the Sandiganbayan against Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on Friday for allegedly receiving P75 million in campaign donations and not including it on his statement of contributions and expenditures (SOCE).
The donations were allegedly received by Marcoleta when he was a congressman.
In a statement, the Ombudsman said the decision to charge Marcoleta was based on the evidence that the three donations were not declared in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).
“These facts are not in dispute; the senator has publicly confirmed receiving the money, and they can be stipulated at the onset of trial. What remains is a question of law: whether these undisputed facts constitute plunder and bribery,” the Ombudsman said.
“We took an oath to enforce the law regardless of who is involved, and that oath does not waver for popularity, position or personal relationships,” it added.
The Ombudsman even quoted Marcoleta’s admission of “utang na loob,” or debt of gratitude, for the funds he received.
“We honor it as one of our culture’s most beautiful values. It is a debt of gratitude between family, friends and neighbors. But it has no place in public office,” it said.
A public official should have no personal debt to any donor that supersedes what they owe to the Filipino people,” it said. “The moment gratitude is used to explain away P75 million in undisclosed money, it stops being ‘utang na loob’ and becomes exactly what our plunder and bribery laws were written to prevent.”
The Ombudsman recognized that the case has stirred public debate, and that it respects every citizen’s right to an opinion, to rally or demand accountability, including from them.
“What we ask in return is what we ourselves commit to: let the facts and the law decide, not sentiment or fear. Senator Marcoleta retains the presumption of innocence and every right to defend himself before the Sandiganbayan,” it said.
“We did not choose this fight. But when the law leaves no room for silence, silence is not an option,” it said.
The case has been raffled off to the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division.
Marcoleta has denied the charges. In a statement, his son, Sagip Partylist Rep. Paolo Henry Marcoleta, said the complaint against his father is “structurally defective, illegally compatible and politically suspect.”
Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendana said that now that the Ombudsman has filed plunder charges against Marcoleta, it should be seen whether he would keep his promise to face the cases against him and not go into hiding if he is arrested.
“Hopefully, he won’t end up following the example of Vice President Sara [Duterte], who refuses to face the case against her, or Sen. [Ronald] Bato [dela Rosa], who has been evading the arrest warrant.” Cendana said.
On Friday, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said it will course the arrest of Marcoleta through the Senate leadership once an arrest warrant is issued.
“We will be coordinating, if ever this will be done, through the Senate leadership,” Col. Allan Rae Co, PNP spokesman, told a briefing at Camp Crame.
Co said the arrest of Marcoleta will likely follow the guidelines used to arrest Sen. Jinggoy Estrada on June 1 over alleged multimillion-peso kickbacks in anomalous flood control projects.
“Of course, we follow systems and protocols in our operations, so most probably, it will still be the same, generally the same,” he said.
Tensions heated up in the Senate when the PNP arrested Estrada and then-Senate president Alan Peter Cayetano insisted his colleague be arrested outside the chamber.
Cayetano, however, was unable to stop Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla from arresting Estrada.
Based on case records, in January 2025, former Anakalusugan representative Mike Defensor, a certain Aristotle Viray and Joseph Espiritu donated P30 million, P25 million and P20 million, respectively, to support Marcoleta’s senatorial bid.
Marcoleta has admitted receiving P75 million in campaign donations from “friends,” He said he did not declare the donations in his SOCE or SALN because his donors requested to remain anonymous.