Senator Rodante Marcoleta directly requested a ₱75-million election contribution from his associate, businessman Aristotle Viray, an official from the Office of the Ombudsman revealed during a Sandiganbayan Third Division hearing on Thursday.
Field Investigation Bureau Director Maria Melinda Mananghaya-Henson shared the detail while testifying on the bail applications of Marcoleta, Viray, Joseph Espiritu, and former Anakalusugan Party-list Representative Mike Defensor, who together face plunder charges tied to an unrecorded political gift.
Responding to a question from Sandiganbayan Third Division Chairperson Karl Miranda regarding Viray’s counter-affidavit submitted during the preliminary investigation, Henson singled out the lawmaker as the source of the request.
”It was accused Marcoleta who actually solicited [the donation],” Henson said.
Henson noted that Ebenezer Santos, an aide to Marcoleta, settled a portion of the donor’s tax for the sum provided by Viray, Espiritu, and Defensor.
She added that indicators point to collusion among the co-defendants, citing that the Deeds of Donation were completed and notarized in November 2025, even though the transfer reportedly occurred in January 2025.
Prosecution documents show the corresponding donor’s tax was remitted only in December 2025—a delay state attorneys view as an attempt to hide the transaction.
During a broadcast interview in November 2025, Marcoleta admitted accepting ₱75 million from allies, claiming he omitted it from his official spending report because the contributors wished to stay private.
However, he subsequently informed the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) that the funds were from his personal assets, prompting the poll agency to suspend its inquiry.
The Ombudsman incorporated these contradictory statements into its probe before formally indicting Marcoleta and his co-accused.