The Office of the Ombudsman has filed a non-bailable plunder case before the Sandiganbayan against Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, former Anakalusugan Rep. Mike Defensor, and businessmen Aristotle Viray and Joseph Espiritu over questions surrounding ₱75 million in campaign donations.
The case was filed on Friday, July 3, and raffled to the Sandiganbayan Third Division, which will determine whether there is enough basis to issue arrest warrants. Aside from plunder, Marcoleta and his co-accused also face charges for allegedly violating rules against public officials receiving, and private individuals giving, prohibited gifts.
At the center of the case are donations allegedly given to Marcoleta’s senatorial campaign: ₱30 million from Defensor, ₱25 million from Viray, and ₱20 million from Espiritu. The Ombudsman argued that the amount crossed the legal threshold for plunder and raised concerns over the money’s non-disclosure in Marcoleta’s filings.
Marcoleta, however, has denied wrongdoing and maintained that the funds were private campaign contributions, not public money. In his defense, he argued that the donations were not reflected in his SALN because the amounts had already been used for election-related expenses by the time the statements were prepared. The Commission on Elections had earlier cleared him of an election offense over the non-disclosure, noting that the donations were received before the official campaign period.
The filing comes after days of public demonstrations by Iglesia ni Cristo members and supporters who rallied behind Marcoleta. For his camp, the case now becomes a test of whether the proceedings will be handled strictly on evidence and law—not public pressure, political timing, or assumptions about motive.
Marcoleta has said he is ready to face the charges. And as the case moves to court, the central question will be whether prosecutors can prove plunder beyond the headlines—or whether the defense can establish that the donations were campaign funds, not stolen public money.
Image from Senate of the PH FB