The question of whether Senator Rodante Marcoleta gave himself up or was taken into custody has a two-part answer, according to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, who oversaw the processing at the Sandiganbayan on Monday, July 6.
“It was both. He went there voluntarily sa Sandiganbayan to file a motion to quash. Subsequently, when it was denied, we closed down the building… and arrested him. So, it is both,” Remulla said.
The Interior chief laid out a sequence that began with the senator’s own initiative. Marcoleta appeared at the anti-graft court to press a motion asking that the arrest warrant against him be thrown out. That request failed. Once the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division rejected it, Remulla said officers sealed off the premises and served the warrant on the spot, converting a voluntary court appearance into a formal arrest.
The distinction has been a point of emphasis on Marcoleta’s side. His legal counsel described the senator’s presence at the court as a gesture made in good faith, framing it as a submission to the court’s authority rather than a capture. Marcoleta himself told reporters he had come expecting exactly this outcome and had no plans to evade it, saying he was ready to accept the warrant if it was handed to him.
The plunder charge stems from P75 million in campaign contributions that prosecutors say Marcoleta accepted in January 2025 but left out of his required financial disclosures. The Ombudsman has identified the sources as former congressman Mike Defensor and businessmen Joseph Espiritu and Aristotle Viray, with the funds moving to the senator over a span of a few days. All three were named alongside Marcoleta in the arrest order.
Because plunder carries no option for bail, the senator faces detention while the case moves forward. Reports from Philstar and Rappler indicate he is set to be held at a Quezon City jail facility in Payatas as proceedings continue. Marcoleta and his co-accused also face separate charges under Presidential Decree No. 46, the law barring public officials from accepting gifts.
Associate Justice Karl Miranda announced the warrant after the court determined there was probable cause to proceed, having set aside the motions Marcoleta filed to halt the case and postpone any order for his arrest.
