Senator Rodante Marcoleta has rejected allegations linking him to insurance firms tied to contractors under scrutiny in the flood control scandal, branding the claims as a deliberate smear campaign against him.
Marcoleta explained that his wife, Edna, serves only as an independent director and audit committee chair of Stronghold Insurance Co. Inc. “They didn’t even bother to research what an independent director means. An independent director cannot qualify if you have relatives who own the company… You must be independent. Your role is only to protect the minority shareholders,” he said in Filipino during an interview with radio dzRH.
The issue erupted after reports revealed that Stronghold issued bonds to companies owned by Curlee and Sarah Discaya, who are facing investigation for allegedly bagging ghost and substandard flood-control projects. A Bilyonaryo news report also cited a notarized 2022 acknowledgment showing Sarah Discaya transacting with Stronghold for a bond obligation through Alpha & Omega Contractor.
Further records showed that Marcoleta’s wife was also on the 2023 board of Milestone Guaranty and Assurance, which released a P19.29-million bond for Elite General Contractor, another firm owned by the Discayas. The bond covered a P192.9-million flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro, which Senate investigators later flagged as non-existent.
Marcoleta, who once chaired the Senate Blue Ribbon committee that investigated the case, drew attention after Sen. Panfilo Lacson questioned his stance during a suspended hearing, suggesting he appeared protective of the Discayas—an accusation Marcoleta immediately denied.
He insisted that his wife’s professional affiliations did not compromise his work as a legislator. “That’s what they want to suggest… All they want is to destroy [my reputation] in any way possible,” he stressed.
Stronghold Insurance also distanced itself from the controversy, saying Edna Marcoleta was elected to its board only in February 2024 and had no role in management or bond issuance. The company emphasized that surety bonds for Department of Public Works and Highways projects are mandated by law and open to all qualified contractors, noting the Discaya firms were only among many clients.
