The Field Investigation Bureau of the Ombudsman has recommended the filing of plunder and bribery charges against Senator Rodante Marcoleta for allegedly accepting ₱75 million in campaign donations last year.
In a complaint-affidavit signed on May 18 and obtained by GMA News, investigators sought the indictment of Marcoleta alongside former Anakalusugan Party-list Representative Mike Defensor and two other private donors.
Under a separate order signed on May 21, the four individuals have been directed to submit their counter-affidavits as the Ombudsman proceeds with its preliminary investigation.
“…the undersigned investigators respectfully pray that the following respondents Rodante Dizon Marcoleta and private individuals Michael Tan Defensor, Joseph Varias Espiritu, and Aristotle Baluyut Viray be indicted for Plunder, as defined and penalized under Republic Act No. 7080, and for violation of Presidential Decree no. 46,” the complaint-affidavit read.
Aside from plunder, investigators are also seeking to charge Marcoleta with indirect bribery.
The case originated from a Commission on Elections (COMELEC) probe last year concerning Marcoleta’s failure to disclose the multi-million peso donations in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE). While COMELEC cleared the lawmaker—ruling that such non-disclosure is no longer deemed an election offense under the amended Omnibus Election Code—the Ombudsman bureau maintained that criminal liability remains.
“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 investigators stated.
During the initial COMELEC inquiry, Marcoleta admitted to receiving three separate financial contributions in January 2025 amounting to ₱75 million. Defensor contributed ₱30 million on January 6, followed by Espiritu with ₱25 million on January 8, and Viray with ₱20 million on January 9.
The Ombudsman bureau tagged the three donors as co-conspirators, arguing that the rapid succession and sheer volume of the funds legally cross into the threshold of plunder.
“Respondent Marcoleta’s acceptance of gift with an aggregate amount of P75M on three separate occasions constitutes the crime of plunder,” the complaint-affidavit stated. “The acceptance of such manifestly excessive amount should not be normalized among public officers.”