MANILA, Philippines – The Office of the Ombudsman has asked the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan to issue a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) against Senator Rodante Marcoleta and three others over their pending plunder complaint related to Marcoleta’s campaign donations.

Apart from Marcoleta, his fellow respondents listed on the PHDO request are:

• former lawmaker Mike Defensor
• Aristotle Viray
• Joseph Espiritu

They are facing a complaint for plunder, indirect bribery, and receiving gifts under Presidential Decree No. 46.

A PHDO is sought when the complaint is at the preliminary investigation stage — meaning it has yet to be filed with the courts. When granted, a PHDO may bar a person’s travel overseas.

Marcoleta, who placed sixth in the 2025 senatorial elections, declared no poll contributions. However, he later confirmed he received P75 million in campaign donations, but that he got the money before the start of the senatorial campaign period.

The senator explained that he did not include the amount in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures because he was not yet a candidate when he received it.

In a statement on Monday, May 25, Marcoleta said the filing of the criminal complaint was “perfectly timed, wrapped in legal language, amplified by noise, and aimed not merely at my person, but at my independence.”

“If the intention of these cases is to silence me, let me say this at the very beginning: It has failed. I will not be silenced,” he said.

“A complaint without evidence of public injury, official favor, corrupt consideration, or abuse of office is not accountability. It is machinery. It is pressure. It is a warning shot fired at those who refuse to kneel.” – Rappler.com