By Benito Reyes
MANILA — Sen. Rodante Marcoleta is now facing arrest after the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division issued a warrant in connection with a plunder case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman over P75 million in campaign donations.
The warrant came on Monday, shortly after prosecutors elevated the case before the anti-graft court.
The complaint centers on Marcoleta’s own disclosure in early 2025 that he accepted campaign contributions totaling P75 million during his Senate campaign. The alleged donors were former Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Mike Defensor, Aristotle Viray, and Joseph Espiritu, who reportedly contributed P30 million, P25 million, and P20 million, respectively.
State prosecutors argued that the amount involved surpassed the monetary requirement under the Anti-Plunder Act. They further alleged that the donations were omitted from Marcoleta’s SALN filed as of June 30, 2025, which listed total assets of only P39.6 million.
In his response, Marcoleta insisted the contributions were private campaign donations and should not be treated as public funds. The Ombudsman rejected that argument, saying the offense of plunder is not automatically limited to cases involving government funds.
The case has drawn public attention, prompting members of the Iglesia ni Cristo to hold a rally in support of the senator while condemning what they described as biased prosecution.
Marcoleta has maintained that the charges form part of an effort to keep him from taking part in the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.
Despite the political controversy, the Ombudsman said the complaint was filed based on the available evidence and stressed that the judicial process should be allowed to proceed independently.
elamigo/