Sen. Rodante Marcoleta said the complaint came while the chamber was facing flood control controversies, an impending impeachment trial, and pressure to give up its independence through political maneuvering disguised as constitutional reform.
The Office of the Ombudsman has asked the Sandiganbayan to prevent
Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, former congressman Michael “Mike” Defensor and
two others from leaving the country after they were indicted for plunder
and other charges over the P75-million campaign donation the senator
received prior to his election in 2025.
Aside from Marcoleta and
Defensor, the ombudsman has also asked the Sandiganbayan to restrain
Aristotle Baluyut Viray and Joseph Varias Espiritu from traveling abroad
through a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO).
The
application was ex parte or filed by one party, depriving the other
party of the chance to respond, according to online resources. The
anti-graft court’s Seventh Division was assigned to tackle the PHDO
application.
Earlier, the ombudsman recommended the filing of
charges against Marcoleta and the others for violation of Republic Act
7080 or plunder and Presidential Decree No. 46, which prohibits public
officials from receiving gifts.
The ombudsman recommended charges of indirect bribery against Marcoleta.
He
was investigated by the Commission on Elections, which cleared him and
found Defensor, Viray and Espiritu liable for election offenses related
to campaign contributions.
Marcoleta had admitted receiving P75
million worth of donations – P30 million from Defensor, P25 million from
Espiritu and P20 million from Viray – for his campaign for senator in
last year’s national polls.
Ombudsman investigators said the
amount received by Marcoleta surpassed the limit for plunder charges at
P50 million, and that it was not indicated in his statement of assets,
liabilities and net worth (SALN) submitted to the Senate.
In a
privilege speech yesterday, Marcoleta voiced his belief the Marcos
administration can have him put behind bars, as he declared the plunder
complaint against him was intended to silence his voice of dissent.
‘They will not win’
Marcoleta
called the complaint filed by the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for
Luzon a “warning shot fired at those who refuse to kneel.”
He
linked the timing of the charges to his active role in the Senate’s
investigation on anomalous flood control projects and the looming
impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, framing the case as an
attempt to frighten independent voices into submission.
“I’m saying this, they can imprison me, they can arrest me, but I tell them, they still will not win. Itaga nila ‘yun sa bato,” he said in a privilege speech during the Senate plenary session on Monday.
Defending
himself against the allegations, Marcoleta vowed he would not be
intimidated into dropping the flood control probe or surrendering his
independent vote in the upcoming impeachment court.
Defensor, for his part, expressed confidence that they would be cleared.
He told “Storycon” on One News
on Monday, May 25, that missing former Marine Orly Guteza would soon
surface and face the Blue Ribbon committee anew together with other
former soldiers who have testified against former speaker Martin
Romualdez and resigned congressman Zaldy Co.
Estrada, Marcoleta join Blue Ribbon
Marcoleta
and other senators entangled in flood control anomalies would be
joining the Blue Ribbon committee, as the panel seeks to resume its
probe on the multibillion-peso public works scam.
Marcoleta and
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada were elected on Monday as vice chairmen of the
committee, placing them in key oversight positions in the flood control
investigation.
Marcoleta has been criticized for his alleged cozy
ties with contractor couple Sara and Curlee Discaya – both of whom are
in detention for their alleged involvement in flood control corruption.
He
also faced criticism for allegedly protecting former public works
secretary Manuel Bonoan during a Senate probe. When Bonoan resigned,
Marcoleta excused him from hearings and allowed him to just send a
deputy, drawing objections from Sen. Risa Hontiveros.
During the
third hearing – Marcoleta’s last as committee chairman before being
replaced by Sen. Panfilo Lacson – Bonoan was entirely removed from the
witness list. Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral represented the
agency instead.
Estrada, meanwhile, is facing charges for allegedly receiving kickbacks from flood control projects in Bulacan.
Fellow
majority senators Francis Escudero, Mark Villar, Bong Go – who were
also tied to flood control allegations – were named members of the
panel. They were joined by Senators Robinhood Padilla, Imee Marcos and
Camille Villar.
The 11-member minority has yet to send its
contingent to the anti-graft panel. Sen. Pia Cayetano was elected Blue
Ribbon chairperson last week.