The Office of the Ombudsman filed a non-bailable plunder case on Friday against Senator Rodante Marcoleta and three co-accused over P75 million in campaign donations.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla filed the case before the Sandiganbayan despite three days of protests by members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo. The complaint also charged Marcoleta with violating Presidential Decree No. 46, which prohibits public officials from receiving gifts.
The case was raffled to the antigraft court’s Third Division. Marcoleta’s co-accused are former Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor and businessmen Aristotle Viray and Joseph Espiritu.
Marcoleta has maintained that the funds came from private donors and were used as campaign contributions in the May 2025 elections. His camp described the case as structurally defective and politically motivated.
The Ombudsman stated that the evidence, including Marcoleta’s own public admissions, left no discretion to dismiss the complaint.
