Comelec clears Marcoleta of poll violation over undeclared campaign contributions

2026-03-18 - 06:21

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) found that Senator Rodante Marcoleta did not violate an election offense related to the disclosure of campaign contributions. Rodante declared a net worth of P51 million in 2025, yet spent P112 million for his senatorial bid despite declaring zero contributions. Marcoleta had confirmed that he got P75 million in campaign donations, but said the funds were received before the start of the campaign period. The argument was that he was not yet an official candidate when the funds were received, so he did not need to declare those contributions in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE). In its decision, the Comelec recognized that Marcoleta did not comply with Section 109 of the Omnibus Election Code, which said SOCEs should be complete on details such as the amount and source of contributions. “A person who has filed his certificate of candidacy may receive and accept contributions not only during the campaign period but also before the start of campaign. In the case at bar, it is with more reason that respondent should have reported the said contributions because it funded his campaign,” the poll body said. However, the Comelec explained that another provision in the same law that would have held Marcoleta liable has long been repealed by Republic Act No. 7166, a 1991 law that synchronized the conduct of national and local elections. “Under Section 262 of the OEC, violation of Section 109 constitutes an election offense. However, due to the later law passed by Congress, it is one of the sections in the OEC that a violation of which will no longer constitute an election offense,” read the minutes of the Comelec’s executive session on Wednesday, March 18, adopting the recommendation of its political and finance affairs department to end the probe into Marcoleta. However, the commission approved the filing of a complaint for election offense against Marcoleta’s contributors over their supposed failure to submit individual reports of contributions to the Comelec after the elections. Marcoleta, a candidate notably from Iglesia ni Cristo and who was backed by the Dutertes in the 2025 polls, placed sixth in the 2025 senatorial race, garnering 15.25 million votes. Must Read The rise of Senator Rodante Marcoleta – Rappler.com