SEN. Rodante Marcoleta, former representative Mike Defensor and another accused have been arrested on plunder charges filed by the Office of the Ombudsman following the issuance of an arrest warrant, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Monday.
Remulla said Marcoleta surrendered to the police and was subsequently placed under arrest.
“Was he arrested or did he surrender? It was both,” Remulla told reporters in a press briefing held at Camp Crame.
He said Marcoleta went to the Sandiganbayan to file a motion to quash at around 8:30 a.m.
“When his motion to quash was denied, Sandiganbayan was locked down and he was not allowed to go out,” said Remulla.
“Subsequently, when it (motion) was denied, we closed down the building and the arresting team arrived. So it was both,” Remulla said PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. and PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group director Maj. Gen. Robert Morico II arrived at the Sandiganbayan at 9:30 a.m. to escort him to Camp Crame.
During the hearing before the Sandiganbayan Third Division, the anti-graft court denied Marcoleta’s motions to suspend proceedings and defer the issuance of arrest warrants, ruling that probable cause had already been established. Following the denial, the court ordered the arrest of Marcoleta, Defensor, and two businessmen.
The case stemmed from Marcoleta’s own admission in his television program that he received P75 million from three campaign donors, including Defensor.
A case was filed against him before the Commission on Elections as he did not declare the amount in his statement of contributions and expenditures, but he was cleared of an election offense since the money was given in January 2025, or a month before the election period started.
Remulla said Marcoleta was subjected to a booking process, including the taking of mug shots and a medical examination at the Philippine National Police General Hospital, which may take some time.
“Marcoleta is already 72 years old. We won’t just be checking his blood pressure and heart rate. He still has to undergo many other tests, such as an ECG and others, to ensure that he is medically fit,” Remulla said in Filipino.
“We do not know when it (medical examination) will be completed but hopefully, within the next two days, the examination will be completed. Do not rush us. Give us time to determine the full picture of his health,” said Remulla.
Remulla said Marcoleta will not be humiliated and will appear on his mugshot as he does in public amid talk that he wears a wig.
“I must remind everyone we’re not here to humiliate anyone,” Remulla said. “Whatever the condition of his hair may be, we will not subject him to humiliation or ridicule. His picture will be taken as is, exactly as he appears in public. We are here to arrest him and have him stand trial, not to humiliate him. He still has his rights.”
Marcoleta will be transferred to the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas after his medical exam, Remulla said.
Arrested at a coffee shop
In the same press briefing held at CIDG, Remulla also announced that Defensor and businessman Joseph Espiritu, who are co-accused of Marcoleta in the plunder case, were arrested in a coffee shop in Quezon City, a few hours after the arrest warrants against them were issued by the Sandiganbayan.
Defensor arrived in handcuffs at the Sandiganbayan on Monday. He has denied that an illegal act was committed.
Another co-accused, Aristotle Viray, is now the subject of a manhunt by several police tracker teams.
The three were the ones who donated the P75 million to Marcoleta.
Remulla said both Defensor and Espiritu were brought by the police to the Sandiganbayan for the return of the arrest warrant and later taken to Camp Crame for their booking procedures.
“After the processing, they will be brought to Quezon City Jail in Payatas for their detention,” he said.
“It’s actually better to surrender to the nearest police station or even here at Camp Crame,” Nartatez said in a press briefing, referring to Viray.
“Our teams are already on the way to implement the known addresses of those personalities, they have addresses here in Metro Manila as well as in the provinces. We have teams there,” he added.
Palace: Up to the courts
Malacañang on Monday said it is leaving the fate of Marcoleta to the courts.
“If that is what the law states and that is the court’s order, the president will respect it,” Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Claire Castro said in Filipino, after the Sandiganbayan ordered the senator’s arrest.
She also countered Defensor’s remarks that they were being targeted and arrested while the “real thieves” who stole public funds go free.
“If they have evidence, they should present it and let the court decide. We only wish they had hastened the submission of evidence — concrete evidence, not merely statements made through the media,” Castro said.
“There would have been a quicker resolution and solution if they had immediately submitted concrete evidence so that those they wanted held accountable could have already been charged and brought before the courts,” she added.
Castro also reiterated that Marcoleta, Defensor, and their co-accused should present before the court their argument that cases filed against them have no legal basis.
“They should defend themselves in court,” she said.
The official expressed confidence the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) would again call for mass protests or sow discord following Marcoleta’s arrest.
Last week, the INC staged a rally in protest in support of Marcoleta, one of its members, and against what it tagged as “selective justice” by the Marcos administration.
“We know that the INC leadership respects the pronouncements of the courts and the provisions of the law. Therefore, we remain confident that the INC leadership will respect the ongoing proceedings and the enforcement of the law,” Castro said.
Respect for the law
Speaking to reporters in an ambush interview after attending the hearing, Marcoleta said he deliberately went to the anti-graft court prepared to face whatever legal action the court deemed appropriate, including the possible service of a warrant of arrest.
“When I came here, I expected all the processes that the court would undertake. As I said, I will not hide. I will face the law and the case according to my understanding of our laws,” Marcoleta said.
He added that he had fully intended to accept the warrant if it were served.
Marcoleta said his actions reflected his respect for the country’s legal system and the rule of law.
“First of all, we always submit to the law. All the existing rules and laws of our country, we must respect,” he said.
Marcoleta acknowledged that the Sandiganbayan had already found probable cause, resulting in the issuance of a warrant of arrest, but emphasized that the judicial process does not end there.
“When the Sandiganbayan said they already have a determination of probable cause, that’s why they issued a warrant of arrest. Let’s respect that,” he said.
“We have a different perspective on the case that was filed against us. My lawyers came up with a way to counter the case,” he added.
On May 18, the Ombudsman investigators filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman against Marcoleta, Defensor and two businessmen over the donation of P75 million when the senator was still a congressman.
Marcoleta had said in a post on Facebook that the investigators’ complaint was “without evidence of public injury, official favor, corrupt consideration, or abuse of office.”
The investigators cited donor’s tax returns and deposit slips in saying that Marcoleta received P30 million on Jan. 6, 2025 from Defensor, P25 million on Jan. 8, 2025 from Espiritu, and P20 million on Jan. 9, 2025 from Viray. WITH PNA