SENATOR Rodante Marcoleta posted ₱90,000 bail on Thursday for charges filed under Presidential Decree (PD) 46, which prohibits public officials from accepting gifts or benefits in the course of their duties.
The charges stem from his acceptance of a ₱75‑million donation while he was still serving as Sagip party‑list representative. Marcoleta posted bail before the Sandiganbayan’s Fourth, Sixth, and First Divisions, where three separate PD 46 cases are pending against him.
The same ₱75‑million donation lies at the center of both the gift‑ban charges and a separate plunder case being heard before the Sandiganbayan Third Division.
The plunder complaint alleges unjust enrichment over the undeclared campaign contribution, and hearings on Marcoleta’s petition for bail in that case have already begun. Also facing charges alongside Marcoleta in the PD 46 cases are former Anakalusugan party‑list Representative Michael Defensor, Joseph Espiritu, and Aristotle Viray.
Despite posting bail on the PD 46 violations, Marcoleta will remain detained at the New Quezon City Jail. Plunder is classified as a non‑bailable offense under Philippine law, meaning he cannot be released from custody regardless of the outcome of the gift‑ban proceedings. The prosecution has indicated it plans to present eight witnesses during the bail hearing for the plunder case, as the court weighs whether to grant his petition for temporary liberty.
metrosundaily
