THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it has finished the investigation into the disparity between Sen. Rodante Marcoleta’s statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) and his statement of contributions and expenditures (SOCE) for the 2025 elections.
Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said Wednesday that the senator has complied with the show-cause order issued by the commission in November 2025.
However, Laudiangco said that before the scheduled mid-December 2025 hearing of the Comelec Law Department, Marcoleta filed for an extension to submit a counter-affidavit, which was granted.
”He filed an extension to file a counter-affidavit which was granted by the commission. He was able to submit it last January 2026 and the fact-finding investigation is ready for resolution,” Laudiangco added.
Based on the record, Marcoleta’s SALN showed only P51.9 million, but his SOCE indicated that he spent P112.8 million during the May 12, 2025, midterm elections.
Marcoleta declared in his SOCE that he received no campaign contributions but spent P112.8 million, an amount that far exceeded his P51.9 million in declared assets.
Laudiangco said the amount declared by Marcoleta in his SALN did not match his election expenditures. He added that under election laws, even anonymous donors must be declared in a SOCE.
He noted that under Section 99 of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC), candidates are required to declare all expenses during the campaign period. The law also provides that all candidates must submit their SOCE within 30 days after Election Day.
Any unused contributions must also be declared. Under the law, such amounts should be returned to the donors or turned over to the National Treasury if donors are not identifiable.
The legal basis for requiring candidates and political parties to submit “full, true and itemized” SOCEs is Section 14 of Republic Act (RA) 7166, or the Synchronized National and Local Elections Law.
The OEC and RA 7166 set specific limits on how much candidates and political parties can spend during an election campaign. Candidates are prohibited from accepting campaign funds from foreign nationals, foreign corporations, government-owned and -controlled corporations, and entities funded wholly or partly by the government.
Private corporations are allowed to donate, but contributions must be accounted for properly and reported to the Comelec. Certain sectors, such as those involved in public utilities or those with government contracts, are prohibited from contributing.
Campaign contributions are regulated to avoid undue influence by wealthy individuals, corporations or special interest groups.
Under Section 14 of RA 7166, failure to file the SOCE by a candidate or political party within the prescribed period is punishable by permanent disqualification from holding public office and fines. Deliberate falsification or misrepresentation of the SOCE is a criminal offense punishable by imprisonment and fines.
