Plunder, bribery raps sought vs Marcoleta over P75-million campaign donations

MANILA, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman’s Field Investigation Bureau has recommended the filing of plunder and bribery charges against Sen. Rodante Marcoleta over alleged campaign donations amounting to P75 million.

In a complaint-affidavit dated May 18, investigators recommended that Marcoleta, former Quezon City congressman Mike Defensor, Joseph Varias Espiritu and Aristotle Baluyut Viray be indicted for plunder under Republic Act 7080 and for violation of Presidential Decree No. 46, which prohibits public officials from receiving gifts.

The Ombudsman investigators also recommended that Marcoleta be charged with indirect bribery.

The complaint stemmed from an earlier investigation by the Commission on Elections into Marcoleta’s alleged non-disclosure of campaign donations in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures.

During the Comelec investigation, Marcoleta admitted receiving three separate donations in January 2025 totaling P75 million for his senatorial campaign.

According to the complaint, Defensor donated P30 million, while Espiritu and Viray contributed P25 million and P20 million, respectively, on January 6, 8 and 9, 2025.

Investigators said the amount allegedly received by Marcoleta exceeded the P50-million threshold required for plunder charges.

“Respondent Marcoleta’s acceptance of gifts with an aggregate amount of P75 million on three separate occasions constitute the crime of plunder,” the complaint-affidavit read.

The complaint also identified Defensor, Espiritu and Viray as alleged co-conspirators.

Investigators said the donations “can no longer be considered as an ordinary act of generosity but rather a corrupt act,” adding that “the acceptance of such manifestly excessive amount should not be normalized among public officers.”

The complaint further stated that Marcoleta used his position as a public official to unjustly enrich himself in violation of ethical standards expected of government officials.

Investigators also noted that the alleged P75-million donation was not reflected in Marcoleta’s statement of assets, liabilities and net worth submitted to the Senate as of June 30, 2025.

According to the complaint, Marcoleta declared a net worth of P39.6 million in his entry SALN and later reported cash and savings amounting to P16.7 million in his December 2025 SALN.

“The amount declared in his entry SALN in the Senate did not reflect the P75,000,000 worth of donations,” the complaint read.

The complaint also pointed out that Marcoleta declared “no cash or in kind contributions” in his SOCE filed before the Comelec.

The poll body, however, did not recommend charges against Marcoleta, saying the non-disclosure no longer constituted an election offense under the amended Omnibus Election Code.

Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia had earlier said the donations were allegedly received before the start of the official campaign period for the 2025 elections.

Despite this, Ombudsman investigators said Marcoleta’s actions may still give rise to criminal and administrative liabilities.
“While respondent Marcoleta’s failure to declare the donations/contributions from respondents Defensor, Espiritu and Viray did not constitute any election offense, his acts should nevertheless give rise to criminal and administrative liabilities,” the complaint-affidavit stated.

The Ombudsman ordered Marcoleta and the other respondents to submit their counter-affidavits within 15 days as part of the preliminary investigation.

The allegations against Marcoleta were earlier raised by Sen. Panfilo Lacson in a privilege speech, where he claimed the donations could constitute indirect bribery.

Lacson also accused Marcoleta of allegedly receiving P500 million in “allocables” linked to flood control projects, based on notes left by former Public Works undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral.