MANILA — Sen. Rodante Marcoleta was arrested Monday after the Sandiganbayan ordered his detention over a non-bailable plunder case involving the alleged concealment of P75 million in campaign contributions, marking the latest high-profile corruption prosecution against a sitting senator.
The Sandiganbayan Third Division also issued arrest warrants against former Anakalusugan party-list congressman Mike Defensor and businessmen Joseph Varias Espiritu and Aristotle Baluyut Viray, who were named as co-accused in the case.
“Pag punta ko dito inaasahan ko na lahat. Ako ay hindi magtatago, haharapin ko lahat. Kung i-serve nila ang warrant ay tatanggapin ko,” Marcoleta told the media before he was brought to Camp Crame for the booking process.
Marcoleta’s legal counsel said the senator voluntarily submitted himself to the anti-graft court, noting that he was already present at the Sandiganbayan when the warrant was released as an “act of good faith.”
Personnel from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group confirmed that Marcoleta was arrested before escorting him to the courtroom for the return of the warrant.
The arrest followed the Sandiganbayan’s denial of motions seeking the dismissal of the plunder complaint after the court found probable cause to proceed with the case.
Associate Justice Karl Miranda said the motions were rejected after the anti-graft court determined there was sufficient basis to move forward with the prosecution.
The court ordered that Marcoleta and the other accused be committed to the Quezon City Jail in Payatas, where Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and former senator Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. are also detained.
It also directed prosecutors to submit within three days their comment on separate motions filed by Marcoleta, Defensor and Espiritu seeking to quash the information.
The Office of the Ombudsman filed the plunder complaint last week, alleging that Marcoleta received a total of P75 million in campaign donations for his 2025 senatorial bid but failed to disclose the funds in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) and campaign finance reports.
Investigators said the money was allegedly delivered in three separate transactions — P30 million on Jan. 6, 2025, P25 million on Jan. 8, and P20 million on Jan. 9, 2025.
The Ombudsman also alleged that donor’s taxes on the contributions were paid only in December 2025, which prosecutors argued indicated an attempt to conceal the transactions.
In explaining why the contributions were not declared, Marcoleta previously said, “Utang na loob na, eh. Ngayon, dahil sa hindi ko puwedeng isiwalat ang kanilang identity, kaya sinabi ko zero in contribution.”
The Ombudsman rejected that explanation, saying, “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.”
Apart from the plunder charge, Marcoleta and his co-accused also face separate cases for alleged violations of Presidential Decree No. 46, which prohibits public officials from receiving gifts or benefits related to the performance of their duties.
Before the filing of the case, Marcoleta maintained that the charges were politically motivated and intended to silence his criticism of the administration, particularly over the government’s flood control projects.
Defensor likewise questioned the legal basis of the plunder complaint, arguing that the allegations involved campaign contributions rather than public funds.
He said, “No favor was requested, promised, or given in exchange for any donation.”
Under the Anti-Plunder Act, a public official may be charged with plunder if accused of amassing at least P50 million in alleged ill-gotten wealth. The offense is non-bailable unless the court grants a petition for bail./PN
