TIMELINE: What led to Rodante Marcoleta’s plunder case

MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of protesters gathered at the EDSA People Power Monument on Tuesday, June 30, as the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) expressed support for Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, who is set to be charged with plunder before the Sandiganbayan.

The non-bailable case against Marcoleta is related to the P75 million in donations that the senator said he received before he became a candidate, when he was still in Congress as representative of SAGIP.

A complaint filed before the Office of the Ombudsman stated that the donations from three individuals that Marcoleta received breached the P50 million threshold for plunder. It also stated that the senator should be charged with indirect bribery since he was given the money on the basis of his position or potential influence as a public officer.

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For the INC, “selective justice” and “distortion of law” should be rejected, saying there should be “transparency, accountability, justice and peace” in government. As it pointed out, these are the same causes Marcoleta is fighting for.

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Here’s a look back:

June 2022: Marcoleta, who backed out of his Senate bid in 2022, sat in Congress as representative of SAGIP. Four nominees withdrew their nomination and paved the way for Marcoleta to retain his seat.

READ: Four Sagip party-list nominees resign; Marcoleta retains seat

October 2024: Marcoleta filed his certificate of candidacy for senator.

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May 2025: Marcoleta won a seat in the Senate with 15.16 million votes.

November 2025: Marcoleta admitted in a TV interview that he received millions of pesos in donations for his Senate bid, which eventually became the basis of the complaints filed against him before the Office of the Ombudsman. The amount was not declared in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures.

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READ: Marcoleta already ‘confessed’ on TV show, Remulla says of plunder raps

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it would ask Marcoleta to explain the “misdeclaration.”

March 2026: The Comelec cleared Marcoleta of violating the Omnibus Election Code, saying the nondisclosure of campaign contributions was no longer an election offense. However, three of the senator’s campaign donors — Michael Defensor, Joseph Espiritu and a public relations executive — were said to be facing complaints for an election offense.

READ: Comelec clears Marcoleta; ‘it defies logic,’ says poll watchdog

May 2026: The deputy bureau of the Office of the Ombudsman recommended filing charges of plunder and three counts of indirect bribery against Marcoleta. The criminal complaint was lodged on May 18, with the field investigation bureau of the Office of the Ombudsman as complainant.

In response, Marcoleta said on May 25: “Let me state the legal defenses plainly on the allegations against me: The law did not define the limits of liberality among friends. They did not say that friendship must stop at a number chosen by one’s accusers.”

READ: Marcoleta on plunder, bribery raps: At least I stated truth

“They did not say that generosity becomes criminal merely because the amount is substantial. What the law forbids is not liberality; it forbids corruption. What it condemns is not friendship; it condemns the sale of public duty. At least I stated the truth. At least I faced the issue. At least I did not hide behind silence,” he said.

Malacañang denied allegations that the case was politically motivated, saying the complaints stemmed from evidence and admissions from the senator himself.

June 2026: Marcoleta filed his counterargument, “vehemently and categorically” denying that he committed acts that constitute the recommended criminal charges.

On Monday, June 29, Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said Marcoleta would be charged before the Sandiganbayan.

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As thousands of people gathered on Tuesday, June 30, Marcoleta claimed the case set to be filed against him was intended to keep him from participating in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte. /dm