‘I will not be silenced’: Marcoleta denies graft allegations amid Ombudsman case

Senator Rodante Marcoleta delivered a privilege speech before the Senate, defending himself against the Office of the Ombudsman’s recommendation to file plunder and bribery charges for allegedly receiving P75 million in campaign donations during the 2025 elections.

In his Senate privilege speech on May 25, Marcoleta denied any wrongdoing and described the complaint as a politically motivated attempt to silence independent voices in the Senate amid ongoing investigations into alleged anomalous flood control projects and the looming impeachment proceedings in Congress.

“I will not be silenced,” Marcoleta declared, insisting that accusations against him were being used as “pressure” and “machinery” to intimidate senators who refuse to conform to political interests.

The senator argued that the complaint lacked proof linking the donations to any official act, government contract, or favor in exchange, saying that “suspicion is not evidence” and that “amount is not corruption.”

Marcoleta also questioned whether the law was being selectively enforced, asking if transparency and accountability standards would likewise apply to other public officials who received campaign support and donations.

He also vowed to continue participating independently in possible impeachment proceedings and ongoing Senate inquiries, particularly in investigations regarding flood control projects to which he described it as the “grand-scale theft” of public funds.

“I do not fear imprisonment. I fear a country where freedom itself is imprisoned,” Marcoleta said, warning against what he called the weaponization of legal processes to suppress dissent and pressure lawmakers.

He later ended his address that he would answer the complaint in the proper legal forum.