By Aaron Recuenco and Martin Sadongdong
Senator Rodante Marcoleta is now under arrest after the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division issued and served a warrant against him in connection with a ₱75 million plunder case.
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed that Marcoleta surrendered at the Sandiganbayan on Monday morning while filing a motion to quash the case.
He was immediately placed under custody and underwent booking procedures, including mugshots, fingerprinting, and medical examination.
Since plunder is a non-bailable offense, Marcoleta is expected to be committed to the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas, where other high-profile detainees such as Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla are held.
The case stems from Marcoleta’s admission that he received ₱75 million in campaign donations from former congressman Mike Defensor and businessmen Aristotle Viray and Joseph Espiritu during his 2025 senatorial bid.
Hours after Marcoleta’s arrest, police also apprehended Defensor and Espiritu at a coffee shop in Quezon City. Both were brought to the Sandiganbayan for the return of the arrest warrant before being transferred to Camp Crame for processing.
They are likewise set to be detained at the Quezon City Jail in Payatas.
Defensor denounced the charges as baseless, claiming his detention was meant to silence him from exposing corruption.
“We fought corruption, yet we were the first to be jailed in a case that has no basis,” he said, vowing to continue his fight despite imprisonment.
Meanwhile, businessman Aristotle Viray remains at large, with police tracker teams deployed to Metro Manila and provincial addresses to locate him.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. urged Viray to surrender voluntarily, saying, “It’s actually better to surrender, to surrender to the nearest police station or even here at Camp Crame.”
With Marcoleta, Defensor, and Espiritu already in custody, authorities are now intensifying efforts to complete the arrests of all accused in the high-profile plunder case.
