MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Rodante Marcoleta may be liable for indirect bribery over his alleged undeclared campaign funds in the 2025 midterm elections, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said Tuesday.
Lacson said Marcoleta’s attempt to explain his failure to disclose his campaign contributors in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) “smacks of an admission against interest.”
According to Lacson, Marcoleta claimed he received the contributions before he became a senatorial candidate. However, Lacson noted that Marcoleta was already a public official at the time, serving as a representative of the SAGIP party-list.
Marcoleta served as SAGIP party-list representative from 2016 to 2025.
Lacson also pointed out that after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued Marcoleta a show cause order, the senator allegedly tried to backtrack on his earlier argument by saying he received the contributions when he was not yet considered a candidate, based on a Supreme Court ruling.
“Why has the Comelec not issued a resolution on Marcoleta’s SOCE case up to now?” Lacson asked.
In a privilege speech, Lacson said Marcoleta and his legal team may have believed they were being “smart” by focusing on the technical timing of the contributions.
“But the funny thing is that he admitted receiving contributions, so he would have a debt of gratitude to the contributors. This is a clear admission against interest, as lawyers say,” Lacson added.