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  • 6 weeks ago
Why file plunder charges against Senator Rodante Marcoleta if the alleged P75 million came from private donors instead of public funds?
The question has been repeatedly raised by netizens in the comment sections of news reports following the Ombudsman’s announcement that it was preparing to file a plunder complaint against the senator.

READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/2026/06/30/why-marcoletas-case-may-still-qualify-as-plunder-even-without-public-funds-ombudsman-explains

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00:00Can we elaborate on the basis that we're going to file plunder charges?
00:06Because there are people who say, why plunder is not a government fund?
00:10Number one.
00:11Number two, the aspect of the nature of the money and why it's plundering?
00:19Why plunder is it the water?
00:22Well, when you talk about plunder, it's a series of combination of acts
00:27where somebody is able to amass, acquire, and accumulate ill-gotten wealth
00:32to the amount of at least 50 million pesos.
00:36So, isa-isa yun po natin, 50 million pesos,
00:40umabot po ng 75 million pesos ang kabuuan ng mga supposedly donations sa kanya.
00:47So, yun yung una.
00:49Series or combinations, tatlo pong transaction po yun na nagbigay.
00:55At admitado naman po yung mga donors na nagbigay naman din sila.
01:02And from the own admissions as well of Senator Marcoleta,
01:07tinanggap niya yung 75 million.
01:10Ngunit, hindi po niya na-deklara sa SALEN,
01:14neither niya dineklara sa kanyang sose.
01:17Ngayon, just to put things in context,
01:20as a public official, kasama po kami dun.
01:23Lahat ng congressman, lahat ng senador,
01:25lahat po ng nasa executive branch,
01:27lahat ng hwes sa judisyari.
01:30Bawal po mag, bawal tumanggap
01:32ng ganun kalaking kahalaga
01:34ng pera
01:35as a general rule.
01:37Exception to the general rule,
01:39kung campaign period
01:41at mangungolekta ka ng mga donations
01:43para sa campaign.
01:45Pero dito sa case na ito,
01:47hindi naman niya dineklara sa sose.
01:50Hindi rin niya dineklara sa SALEN.
01:53So,
01:55dineklara lang niya
01:56sa taong bayan,
01:58sa media.
01:59Pero, sa totoo lang,
02:01dapat linagay niya either sa SALEN
02:03or sa sose.
02:05So,
02:05ang theory will revolve around that.
02:10Several
02:11cases
02:12or series
02:13or combination of acts
02:14and yung
02:15ano po,
02:16yung tanong nyo
02:17na
02:17public funds,
02:19dun sa RA7080
02:21sa Plunder Law,
02:24there are acts there
02:25that could comprise
02:26of the series
02:26or combination of acts
02:28that could
02:28comprise of Plunder.
02:30And,
02:30number two there
02:31is receiving
02:33directly
02:33or indirectly
02:34any gift,
02:35commission,
02:36percentage,
02:37kickback.
02:38Alam nga naman po,
02:39yung gift ay galing din sa public funds.
02:41So,
02:42ang definition po ng Plunder
02:44also includes
02:45private funds.
02:48Okay?
02:49And,
02:50just to elaborate on that further,
02:52yung direct bribery
02:53or indirect bribery,
02:54pag merong series nun,
02:56that can also comprise
02:58of Plunder.
02:59And,
02:59direct bribery
03:00coming from a private individual
03:02can also
03:03be considered
03:05corruption.
03:06Diba?
03:06So,
03:07when there's a series
03:07or combination of that,
03:08pwede rin po siyang
03:10tawaging Plunder.
03:12So,
03:12this is the first time
03:13na magpo-file tayo
03:14ng Plunder
03:15na ang gamit
03:16ay
03:16private funds.
03:17Yun ba ang kaya
03:18of the wedding money?
03:19Is it the same
03:21circumstances?
03:21Yes,
03:22opo,
03:22opo.
03:22So,
03:23yung,
03:24I understand,
03:25naiintindihan ho namin
03:26yung argument na yun
03:29na kailangan public funds.
03:30Ngunit,
03:31pag binasa mo talaga
03:32yung batas,
03:34nandyan ho yan
03:35na kahit private funds
03:37po pwede,
03:38it's just that
03:39kadalasan
03:40ang naka-file ho
03:40yung public funds.
03:43May malversation,
03:44may misappropriation,
03:45yun po yung kadalasan
03:47natin na rinirinig
03:48pag ang finile
03:49ay Plunder.
03:50Pero sa totoo lang,
03:51and you will see it
03:52in the law,
03:53that even private funds
03:55can comprise
03:56of the crime of Plunder.
03:57Sir,
03:58last na lang
03:58on this topic
03:59on my part.
04:00Will the actions of,
04:02well,
04:02the present actions
04:02today deter
04:03the Ombudsman
04:04from filing?
04:06No,
04:06like I mentioned,
04:07parehas po
04:08ang pinaglalaban po
04:10natin.
04:10Kung ang pinaglalaban po
04:11ng mga taga-INC
04:13ngayon sa EDSA
04:14ay transparency
04:15and accountability
04:16yun din ang pinaglalaban
04:17ng Office of the Ombudsman.
04:19So,
04:20is it our mandate
04:21to stop cases?
04:23Perhaps not.
04:23It is our mandate
04:25to investigate
04:26and prosecute cases.
04:28And once the evidence
04:30is there,
04:30and in this case,
04:31the evidence
04:32was amply supplied
04:33by the respondents
04:34themselves,
04:35we have,
04:36our hands are quite tied
04:37here.
04:38So,
04:40that also speaks
04:41to how fast
04:43this case went.
04:44Dahil po,
04:45lahat po ng admissions,
04:47lahat po ng elemento
04:48ay nasatisfy na po
04:49doon sa mga sinabi niya po.
04:51Everybody con
04:52and I will say
04:52you
04:52know,
04:54it's a
04:54show and
04:54we'll say
04:54you
04:54like,
04:55you
04:55and I will say
05:03I will say
05:03You
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