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Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on May 25, 2026 delivers a privilege speech, warning that the plunder and bribery charges recommended against him were part of a larger effort to weaken the Senate’s independence and silence dissenting voices.
Senate of the Philippines via Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — The Sandiganbayan has issued a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) against Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, former lawmaker Mike Defensor and two other officials over alleged plunder, indirect bribery findings by the Office of the Ombudsman.
The PHDO was issued on Tuesday, May 26, by the anti-graft court's 7th Division.
Aside from Marcoleta and Defensor, Joseph Varias Espiritu and Aristotle Baluyut Viray were also named in the PHDO.
This is in connection with the Ombudsman’s findings of alleged plunder and indirect bribery involving campaign donations to Marcoleta worth P75 million.
The request for a PHDO was filed by the Ombudsman on May 25. On the same day, Marcoleta was also appointed as one of the co-chairpersons of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, the panel which led the Senate's probe into the multi-million peso flood control scandal.
A precautionary HDO temporarily prevents a person under criminal investigation from leaving the Philippines while a case is still being evaluated, even before charges are filed in court.
Ombudsman field investigators recommended the indictment of Marcoleta, Defensor, Espiritu and Viray for plunder under Republic Act 7080 and for violating Presidential Decree No. 46, which prohibits public officials from receiving gifts.
Investigators also recommended that Marcoleta be charged with indirect bribery.
The complaint stemmed from an earlier Commission on Elections investigation into Marcoleta's alleged failure to disclose campaign donations in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures.
Ombudsman investigators alleged that Marcoleta received a total of P75 million in donations from Defensor, Espiritu and Viray over four days in January 2025.
