Senator Rodante Marcoleta opted not to enter a plea during his Monday arraignment before the Sandiganbayan First Division regarding a criminal charge for allegedly violating Presidential Decree (PD) No. 46, also known as the anti-gift law.
The charge stems from ₱75 million in alleged undeclared campaign contributions during his tenure as a party-list representative.
Defense counsel Atty. Moises Tolentino Jr. explained to the court that the refusal was due to ongoing legal proceedings in a higher court.
“The accused, Senator Rodante Marcoleta, would like to inform the court that since there are pending remedies [before] the Supreme Court, he refuses to enter a plea for today’s arraignment,” Tolentino told the First Division.
Following standard court procedure, Associate Justice Maria Theresa Mendoza-Arcega, who chairs the First Division, entered a plea on the senator’s behalf.
“However, the court enters a plea of ‘not guilty’ on the part of accused Marcoleta,” Mendoza-Arcega stated.
Marcoleta’s co-accused, businessman Aristotle Viray—who is accused of providing ₱20 million of the total donations—entered a plea of not guilty.
This follows a separate proceeding on July 22, where Marcoleta pleaded not guilty before the Sandiganbayan Third Division to a non-bailable plunder charge and another count of violating PD No. 46 after withdrawing his motion to quash.
The Office of the Ombudsman originally filed the plunder charge and three related anti-gift law counts against Marcoleta and his donors on July 3.