Sen. Rodante Marcoleta‘s own explanation about the P75 million he allegedly received during the campaign period is now being cited by critics as a central question in the upcoming plunder case against him.
Former Bayan Muna lawmaker Teddy Casiño said Marcoleta had admitted receiving the amount while he was still a congressman, but argued before the Commission on Elections that the money was not a campaign contribution.
“Ang problema ni Marcoleta, inamin niyang tumanggap siya ng P75 million bilang congressman mula sa mga kaibigan niya,” Casiño said in a post on X.
Casiño said that if the money was not a campaign contribution, questions remain over how it should be treated under laws covering public officials.
“Regalo? Eh bawal sa batas tumanggap ng ganung kalaking regalo ang public official. At saka kung regalo, bakit hindi reflected sa kaniyang SALN?” Casiño said.
“Suhol? Eh di mas lalong bawal,” he added.
Campaign issue, plunder issue
The comments came as the Office of the Ombudsman said it would proceed with filing plunder charges against Marcoleta, even as Iglesia ni Cristo members have been staging rallies in support of the senator.
Marcoleta is an INC member and was backed by the church in the 2025 senatorial elections. He has denied wrongdoing.
The P75-million plunder complaint, however, stemmed from Marcoleta’s own media statements in November last year and his explanation that the amount was not a campaign contribution, as Jarius Bondoc, columnist of the Philippine STAR, pointed out.
Why it matters: The Comelec issue and the plunder issue may involve different legal questions. A defense that the money was not used for campaign spending may address whether it should have been reported as a campaign contribution.
Critics, however, say it does not automatically explain why a sitting lawmaker received such a large amount from private individuals.
At eto pa sinabi ng mga kaibigan niya huwag declare yung binigay nila tanawin na lang daw na utang na loob niya sa mga kaibigan niya si marcoleta nagsabi yan mismo on national tv which falls to his case plunder
— royce roque (@roycetharealist) July 2, 2026
The INC rally began at the EDSA People Power Monument on Tuesday, June 30, and continued the next day. Having been denied permit for the protest on the major thoroughfare on Thursday, July 2, the group moved the demonstrations to Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila.
