MANILA — Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said Sen. Rodante Marcoleta may be liable for indirect bribery in connection with alleged undeclared campaign donations from the 2025 senatorial elections.

In a privilege speech, Lacson said Marcoleta’s explanations regarding his failure to list campaign contributors in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) could be considered an admission against interest.

Lacson pointed out that although Marcoleta and his legal team argued the donations were received before he officially became a candidate, he was still serving as a public official at that time as a representative of the SAGIP Party-List in the House of Representatives.

“I guess Senator Marcoleta and his legal team thought they were being smart by being technical about when these contributions were made. Pero ang nakakatawa Mr. President ay, wala nang mas lilinaw sa sariling pag-amin ni Senator Marcoleta – tumanggap sya ng pera para magkaroon sya ng utang na loob sa mga taong iyon – isang maliwanag na Admission against Interest, ang sabi nga ng mga abogado (I guess Marcoleta and his legal team thought they were being smart by being technical about when these contributions were made. But the funny thing is that he admitted receiving contributions so he would have a debt of gratitude to the contributors. This is a clear admission against interest, as lawyers say),” Lacson said.

The senator added that Marcoleta’s position as a public official at the time could expose him to criminal liability under provisions of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines.

“Bilang isang abogado, dapat alam ni Sen. Marcoleta na dahil dito ay shoot siya sa balde sa kasong indirect bribery under Article 211 ng Revised Penal Code dahil member siya ng House of Representatives nang panahon na iyon. Maliwanag sa batas na krimen sa mga public officials na tumanggap ng pera o gift ‘by reason of their office’ kahit walang pangako na particular act or omission sa nagbigay ng pera (As a lawyer, Marcoleta should know he is liable for indirect bribery under Art. 211 of the Revised Penal Code because he was a member of the House of Representatives at the time. The law is clear that it is a crime for public officials to receive money or gifts by reason of their office even without promises of a particular act or omission to the giver),” he added.

Marcoleta served as representative of the SAGIP Party-List in the House from 2016 until 2025.

Under Article 211 of the Revised Penal Code, any public official who accepts gifts offered by reason of their office may face penalties that include prision correccional in its medium and maximum periods, suspension from public office, and public censure.

Lacson also noted that after the Commission on Elections issued a show cause order, Marcoleta reportedly revised his earlier explanation by arguing that the donations were received before he was considered a candidate under a ruling by the Supreme Court of the Philippines.

“Bakit nga ba hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin inilalabas ng COMELEC ang resolution ng SOCE case ni Senator Marcoleta (Why has the Comelec not issued a resolution on Marcoleta’s SOCE case up to now)?” he added.