TARLAKENYO — The Office of the Ombudsman has formally filed plunder charges before the Sandiganbayan against Senator Rodante Marcoleta and three other individuals in connection with P75 million in campaign donations that were allegedly not declared in his Statement of Campaign Expenditures.
The charges, filed on July 3, 2026, stem from donations received by Marcoleta for his senatorial bid in the 2025 elections.
According to prosecutors, former Anakalusugan Representative Mike Defensor donated P30 million, while businessmen Aristotle Viray and Joseph Espiritu contributed P25 million and P20 million, respectively. The total amount exceeded the P50 million threshold for plunder under Republic Act 7080.
Also facing charges for plunder, indirect bribery, and violation of the presidential decree prohibiting public officials from receiving gifts are Defensor, Viray, and Espiritu.
The anti-graft court had already granted the Ombudsman’s request in late May to issue a precautionary hold departure order against all four individuals while the preliminary investigation was ongoing.
In his counter-affidavit, Marcoleta argued that the P75 million donation was not public funds, despite exceeding the legal threshold for plunder.
He further explained that the amounts were not reflected in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) because they had already been used for their intended election-related purposes by the time the SALNs were prepared and executed.
However, state prosecutors noted that the amount was conspicuously absent from his SALN as of June 30, 2025, where Marcoleta declared only P39.6 million in total assets acquired from 1992 to that date.
In his December 2025 SALN, he declared cash and savings amounting to only P16.7 million.
Ombudsman prosecutors have asserted that Marcoleta unjustly enriched himself by accepting what they described as an “unconscionable” P75 million gift from the three individuals.
The Sandiganbayan will now proceed with the trial of the case, which carries the penalty of life imprisonment and perpetual disqualification from public office if the senator is found guilty.
Marcoleta, a native of Paniqui, Tarlac, has yet to issue a formal statement regarding the filing of the case.
