Campaign donation case of Senator Rodante Marcoleta already resolved at poll body — Comelec

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has completed its action on the campaign donation case involving Senator Rodante Marcoleta, poll chief George Erwin Garcia said on Monday (September 7, 2026), addressing questions over the Sandiganbayan’s jurisdiction.

Garcia made the statement after Marcoleta’s legal counsel argued during a Sandiganbayan Third Division hearing last Thursday that the P75-million campaign contribution issue should be remanded to Comelec rather than handled by the anti-graft court.

Garcia clarified that Comelec had already exercised its authority and determined Marcoleta’s potential liability under election laws.

“Nag-exercise na kami ng jurisdiction at na-determine na namin kung may liability ba o mayroong liability ’yung involved. So kung ano man ’yung jurisdiction ng ibang ahensya ng pamahalaan, siguro sila ang makakasagot d’yan,” Garcia told reporters.

(“We already exercised jurisdiction and determined whether the party involved carries any liability. Whatever the jurisdiction of other government agencies may be, they can best answer that.”)

In March, the Comelec en banc adopted a recommendation from its Political Finance Affairs Department (PFAD) to terminate the investigation into Marcoleta’s campaign contributions, citing a lack of evidence of an election offense.

The inquiry stemmed from Marcoleta’s televised admission that he did not report certain campaign contributions because the donors requested anonymity.

In a January affidavit submitted to Comelec, Marcoleta acknowledged receiving P75 million from three individuals.

However, he maintained the funds were received before the official campaign period for national candidates in the 2025 midterm elections, while he was still serving as a party-list representative.

The PFAD concluded that Republic Act No. 7166 (the Synchronized National and Local Elections Act) effectively repealed the Omnibus Election Code provision that penalized candidates for failing to fully disclose campaign contributions and expenditures.

That repeal, however, did not apply to donors.

Consequently, the PFAD recommended filing separate complaints against the three named donors—former lawmaker Mike Defensor, Joseph Varias Espiritu, and Aristotle Baluyut Viray—for failing to file required contribution reports.

Comelec’s decision to drop its probe into Marcoleta was subsequently cited in a plunder complaint filed against the senator before the Sandiganbayan.

Garcia said Comelec would not object if the case were referred back to the poll body, but emphasized that its legal mandate had already been met.

“Kung biglang ibalik sa amin, wala naman pong problema,” Garcia said. “The Comelec will exercise its jurisdiction, but again, na-perform na po namin ang aming duty. Na-exercise na po namin ang aming jurisdiction and therefore, as far as we are concerned, tapos na po kami sa pag-exercise ng jurisdiction.”

-Paraluman News