A formal complaint seeking an election offense case has been lodged against Senator Rodante Marcoleta for allegedly submitting a false Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SoCE) for the May 2025 elections.
Details of the Comelec Complaint
The complaint was filed before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Friday, December 5, 2025. The petitioners are Kontra Daya lead convener Danilo Arao and the group Advocates of Public Interest Law. They accuse Marcoleta of violating Sections 98 and 107 of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC).
In a statement, Arao asserted that the senator committed a "willful and deliberate falsehood" in completing his SoCE. "This is not just a violation of the law but also of ethics as a public official. Marcoleta should be held accountable," Arao emphasized.
Alleged Discrepancies in Campaign Finance Report
The core of the allegation lies in Marcoleta's official report, where he declared receiving P0 in campaign contributions while reporting total election spending of P112,857,951.44. This raised immediate questions about the source of the massive funds, especially since the senator's latest Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) reflected a net worth of approximately P51.9 million.
Marcoleta previously explained this discrepancy by stating that friends donated to his campaign but requested anonymity. He admitted to intentionally not declaring these donations to honor their request for privacy.
Legal Basis and Potential Consequences
The complainants argue this admission is a direct violation of election laws. Section 98 of the OEC prohibits accepting contributions under another person's name. Section 107 mandates that every candidate must file a full, true, and itemized SoCE.
The seven-page complaint-affidavit states, "Accordingly, there is probable cause to believe that Respondent committed an election offense when he knowingly omitted the names of his campaign donors and willfully misrepresented that he had received no contributions." It further asserts that by publicly admitting to receiving funds but reporting zero, Marcoleta knowingly violated the law.
The Comelec will now evaluate the complaint to determine if there is sufficient basis to proceed with a formal investigation that could lead to an election offense case against the senator.
