By Ferdinand Patinio | Philippine News Agency
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is ready to assist the Office of the Ombudsman on the filing of plunder and bribery charges against Senator Rodante Marcoleta.
“Comelec is ready to help and coordinate with Ombudsman” once the latter asks for it, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said in a brief statement issued Saturday.
At the same time, Garcia noted that the moto proprio investigation they have conducted against the senator has already been dismissed.
“With regards to the revival of the case, Comelec has not yet considered it,” he said, adding that the poll body has not received any Motion for Reconsideration.
Chairperson Garcia was reacting to reports that the Ombudsman has recommended the filing of plunder and bribery charges against the senator for receiving P75 million in campaign donations during the May 2025 elections.
In March, the poll body terminated the investigation against the reported inconsistencies in Sen. Marcoleta’s Statement of Contributions and Expenditures for last year’s polls.
In a Commission en banc resolution, the poll body has ordered a stop to the probe after finding no evidence that the senator supposedly committed an election offense.
However, the Comelec ordered its Law Department to investigate the three contributors for failing to submit their respective Reports of Contributions, one month after the national polls.
