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Marc Jayson Cayabyab - The Philippine Star
July 1, 2026 | 12:00am
Senators Rodante Marcoleta on January 20, 2026.
STAR / Ryan Baldemor
MANILA, Philippines — Sensing his arrest anytime, Sen. Rodante Marcoleta has slammed the Office of the Ombudsman for its plan to file plunder and indirect bribery cases against him for receiving and undeclaring a P75-million campaign donation.
In a Facebook video statement yesterday, Marcoleta said the charges to be filed against him stemmed from his announcement to investigate the flood control scandal when he briefly led the Blue Ribbon committee. Marcoleta himself had admitted receiving the campaign contributions on national TV.
“I know they will arrest me, I know they will put me behind bars. But that will not stop me from serving you,” he said.
“You will know, there’s nobody now on my side. My only offense is serving you, and I don’t know if it can even be called an offense – to face them with courage so you’ll know the truth,” he said.
Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano denied Marcoleta’s accusations. Speaking on PTV, Clavano stressed that the anti-graft body is merely fulfilling its mandate based on evidence provided by the lawmaker himself during his public broadcasts.
“I can’t see politics here because we file charges against anyone who commits offense,” he said. “It is not politics, it is accountability po.”
The Marcoleta-led probe focused on the contractors who cornered flood control contracts and on allegations of rigged bidding.
The Blue Ribbon led by Sen. Panfilo Lacson, however, expanded the probe by presenting former public works undersecretary Roberto Bernardo, who alleged giving millions of kickbacks to several lawmakers, including senators, from their pet infrastructure projects.
Marcoleta said the ombudsman’s move to file charges against him was part of a bigger plan to go after senators from the minority bloc, specifically those allied with Vice President Sara Duterte, so they would not be able to attend her impeachment trial and vote.
He said the ombudsman has been announcing the filing of charges against him for weeks, while Lacson had announced the possible arrest of nine more senators.
Marcoleta also criticized the ombudsman for going after him while making former public works secretary Manuel Bonoan a state witness despite the latter’s role in inserting lawmakers’ pet projects in the national budget as a possible source of kickbacks. He called his being charged a small sacrifice for his role in investigating the flood control mess.
Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian refused to comment on his colleagues’ legal troubles.
Marcoleta’s case stemmed from his own admission of having received P75 million in campaign contribution from former congressman Mike Defensor, Joseph Espiritu and Aristotle Viray.
The campaign funds were not declared by Marcoleta in his statement of contributions and expenditures and in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.
According to the ombudsman, the case still constitutes a plunder offense as he received the funds as a “gift” and that the undeclared funds breached the P50-million threshold for alleged ill-gotten wealth under Republic Act 7080 or the plunder law.
Marcoleta made the admission in his Net25 program. He said he did not declare the contributions upon the request of his campaign donor-friends. — Neil Jayson Servallos
