Sen. Rodante Marcoleta may be liable for indirect bribery over his undeclared campaign funds in last year’s senatorial elections, Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” M. Lacson said Tuesday.
Lacson noted that Marcoleta’s attempts to explain his failure to disclose his campaign contributors in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) smack of admission against interest.
He added that while Marcoleta and his legal team claimed he received the contributions before he became a candidate, he was still a public official at the time – a representative of SAGIP party list in the House.
In Filipino: Lacson: Maaaring Managot si Marcoleta sa Indirect Bribery Dahil sa Hindi Idineklarang Campaign Donations
“I guess Senator Marcoleta and his legal team thought they were being smart by being technical about when these contributions were made. Pero ang nakakatawa Mr. President ay, wala nang mas lilinaw sa sariling pag-amin ni Senator Marcoleta – tumanggap sya ng pera para magkaroon sya ng utang na loob sa mga taong iyon – isang maliwanag na Admission against Interest, ang sabi nga ng mga abogado (I guess Marcoleta and his legal team thought they were being smart by being technical about when these contributions were made. 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 said in a privilege speech.
“Bilang isang abogado, dapat alam ni Sen. Marcoleta na dahil dito ay shoot siya sa balde sa kasong indirect bribery under Article 211 ng Revised Penal Code dahil member siya ng House of Representatives nang panahon na iyon. Maliwanag sa batas na krimen sa mga public officials na tumanggap ng pera o gift ‘by reason of their office’ kahit walang pangako na particular act or omission sa nagbigay ng pera (As a lawyer, Marcoleta should know he is liable for indirect bribery under Art. 211 of the Revised Penal Code because he was a member of the House of Representatives at the time. The law is clear that it is a crime for public officials to receive money or gifts by reason of their office even without promises of a particular act or omission to the giver),” he added.
Marcoleta served as SAGIP party list representative from 2016 to 2025.
Article 211 of the Revised Penal Code punishes any public officer who accepts gifts offered by reason of their office. It carries penalties of prision correccional in its medium and maximum periods, suspension, and public censure.
Lacson noted that when Marcoleta was issued a show cause order by the Commission on Elections, he tried to backtrack on his earlier arguments by saying that he received those contributions when he was not yet a candidate as defined by the decision of the Supreme Court.
“Bakit nga ba hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin inilalabas ng COMELEC ang resolution ng SOCE case ni Senator Marcoleta (Why has the Comelec not issued a resolution on Marcoleta’s SOCE case up to now)?” he added.
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Lacson: Maaaring Managot si Marcoleta sa Indirect Bribery Dahil sa Hindi Idineklarang Campaign Donations
Maaaring managot si Sen. Rodante Marcoleta sa kasong indirect bribery kaugnay ng hindi niya idineklarang campaign funds noong senatorial elections noong 2025, ayon kay Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo ‘Ping’ Lacson nitong Martes.
Ani Lacson, ang mga paliwanag ni Marcoleta kung bakit hindi niya idineklara ang kanyang mga campaign contributor sa kanyang Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) ay tila isang “admission against interest.”
Dagdag niya, bagama’t iginiit ni Marcoleta at ng kanyang legal team na natanggap niya ang mga kontribusyon bago pa siya maging kandidato, isa pa rin siyang opisyal noong panahong iyon — bilang kinatawan ng SAGIP Party-list sa House of Representatives.
“I guess Senator Marcoleta and his legal team thought they were being smart by being technical about when these contributions were made. Pero ang nakakatawa Mr. President ay, wala nang mas lilinaw sa sariling pag-amin ni Senator Marcoleta – tumanggap sya ng pera para magkaroon sya ng utang na loob sa mga taong iyon – isang maliwanag na Admission against Interest, ang sabi nga ng mga abogado,” ani Lacson sa privilege speech.
“Bilang isang abogado, dapat alam ni Sen. Marcoleta na dahil dito ay shoot siya sa balde sa kasong indirect bribery under Article 211 ng Revised Penal Code dahil member siya ng House of Representatives nang panahon na iyon. Maliwanag sa batas na krimen sa mga public officials na tumanggap ng pera o gift ‘by reason of their office’ kahit walang pangako na particular act or omission sa nagbigay ng pera,” he added.
Nagsilbi si Marcoleta bilang kinatawan ng SAGIP Party-list sa House of Representatives mula 2016 hanggang 2025.
Ang Article 211 ng Revised Penal Code ay nagpaparusa sa sinumang public officer na tumatanggap ng mga regalo o benepisyo dahil sa kanyang posisyon sa gobyerno. Ang parusa rito ay prision correccional sa medium at maximum periods, suspension, at public censure.
Binanggit din ni Lacson na nang padalhan si Marcoleta ng show cause order ng Commission on Elections, sinubukan nitong bawiin ang kanyang naunang mga pahayag sa pamamagitan ng pagsasabing natanggap niya ang mga kontribusyon noong hindi pa siya kandidato ayon sa depinisyon ng desisyon ng Supreme Court of the Philippines.
“Bakit nga ba hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin inilalabas ng COMELEC ang resolution ng SOCE case ni Senator Marcoleta?” tanong ni Lacson.
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