SEN. Rodante Marcoleta on Tuesday alleged that moves against him are aimed at silencing his investigations into corruption and preventing him from participating in the Senate’s upcoming impeachment trial against Vice President Sara Duterte, with who he is closely allied.
The Palace, however, urged the senator to face the plunder charges to be filed against him by the Office of the Ombudsman in court and allow the justice system to work instead of encouraging a surprise rally that disrupted traffic for hours near the People Power Monument on Tuesday.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, meanwhile, chided Marcoleta for claiming that his impending arrest on plunder charges is linked to Duterte’s impeachment trial, writing on X “It’s gaslighting time once more.”
In a statement Tuesday, Marcoleta claimed authorities were selectively prosecuting individuals seeking to expose alleged wrongdoing while failing to pursue cases against those he described as the principal figures behind alleged corruption.
“There is a pattern that has become evident over the past few days,” Marcoleta said. “They are targeting those who seek to uncover the truth, while those allegedly responsible for these crimes remain unprosecuted.” The senator pointed to a pending complaint, which he said had been filed in April 2026 against former House speaker Martin Romualdez, alleging that no significant action had been taken.
He also questioned the decision of the Office of the Ombudsman to drop charges against former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) secretary Manuel Bonoan in exchange for his testimony as a state witness.
Marcoleta asserted that he has become a target because of his efforts to expose alleged irregularities and hold public officials accountable.
“If they arrest me, everything we have started will be stopped,” Marcoleta said. “They believe these issues will simply fade away, and at the same time, I will no longer be able to participate in the impeachment trial. That is two birds with one stone.” Marcoleta also alleged that the developments had been planned, citing remarks made two weeks before by Lacson, who suggested that several more senators could face imprisonment, a statement that suggested prior knowledge of what was to happen.
In his post on X, however, Lacson said his statement on the possibility of nine senators being incarcerated was a hypothetical statement in the context of determining the base number to compute the constitutional requirement of 2/3 vote of all senators actively participating or not in the impeachment trial.
Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Monday said the case against Marcoleta was “for resolution” and they were about to file it.
The case stemmed from the P75 million in gifts or donations that Marcoleta received from three people in January 2025 when he was a congressman.
Lacson earlier voiced concern that the Supreme Court may need to intervene to address the possible “absurdity” of the impeachment court being reduced to a mere formality for acquittal if at least nine out of 24 senator-judges were hypothetically detained and suspended as in the case of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
From the Palace, Press Officer Claire Castro said that if Marcoleta believes the justice system is working, he should allow it to resolve his plunder case through the law and not through a surprise rally.
“He admitted that he received P75 million while he was a congressman. That’s what the case is all about,” Castro said during a press conference.
“Our justice system is working. So, why don’t we let our justice system work and let the process work?” she said.
JAVIER JOE ISMAEL,
BERNADETTE TAMAYO
AND CATHERINE VALENTE
