Plunder raps to be filed vs Marcoleta, Defensor

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Rodante Marcoleta could soon be suspended from the Senate and barred from participating in legislative proceedings as the Office of the Ombudsman announced the filing of a plunder case against him before the Sandiganbayan this week.

Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla yesterday confirmed that the Sandiganbayan charges, which stem from alleged anomalies involving campaign contributions during the 2025 midterm elections, would include several co-respondents, among them former lawmaker Mike Defensor.

“(The case of) Senator Marcoleta (is) definitely for resolution already. We’re about to file it already. This week. For plunder,” Remulla told reporters.

Asked whether it was possible that Marcoleta would be ordered suspended by the Sandiganbayan, Remulla said: “Yes. It will depend on the court, of course.”

Under the Anti-Plunder Law (Republic Act 7080) and the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act (RA 3019), public officials facing valid criminal charges involving public funds or unlawful wealth face a mandatory preventive suspension from office while the trial is underway.

If ordered by the Sandiganbayan, Marcoleta’s suspension would temporarily strip him of his legislative duties, preventing him from attending sessions, participating in committee hearings and casting votes – further thinning the ranks of the upper chamber ahead of highly anticipated legislative debates and the upcoming July 6 impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

Meanwhile, Remulla dismissed speculations that the case is a calculated political maneuver aimed at systematically reducing the number of minority or opposition lawmakers in the Senate.

“I didn’t even ask (for) this to happen. All the evidence came from you know where. We did not seek this, but this happened because motu proprio, apparently the crime was committed in open knowledge of everybody,” the ombudsman explained.

He pointed out that the public nature of the lawmaker’s own declarations, coupled with formal documentation, support the prosecution’s case.

The case stems from a Commission on Elections investigation into Marcoleta’s statement of campaign contributions and expenditures, where he declared zero contributions despite gathering P112.8 million in campaign funds for the May 2025 polls.

Marcoleta later disclosed in a televised broadcast that he received the funds but kept his donors anonymous at their request.

The Office of the Ombudsman eventually took over the case, discovering that Defensor and businessmen Joseph Espiritu and Aristotle Viray allegedly funneled P75 million of those funds to Marcoleta over a four-day period in January 2025.

Based on these findings, the Sandiganbayan issued a preliminary hold departure order against the four on May 26.