Lacson sees 'reverse trial' in Marcoleta plunder case

Lacson sees 'reverse trial' in Marcoleta plunder case Senator Panfilo Lacson said Saturday that the plunder case filed against Senator Rodante Marcoleta over P75 million in campaign contributions he received ahead of the 2025 senatorial elections could turn into a "reverse trial." "REVERSE TRIAL: The prosecutor may just sit and watch with folded arms while the respondent argues against himself and the damning evidence that he himself presented in plain view of all the witnesses who watched his 'admission against interest' on national TV," Lacson said in a post on X. Lacson said Marcoleta had admitted on national television that he received P75 million in cash donations while he was still serving as the SAGIP party-list representative, but did not declare the amount in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE). The Office of the Ombudsman on Friday filed plunder and three counts of violating Presidential Decree No. 46, which prohibits public officials from accepting gifts. Also charged were former congressman Mike Defensor and businessmen Joseph Espiritu and Aristotle Viray. Marcoleta declared a net worth of P51.9 million last year and reported spending P112 million on his senatorial campaign. In a television appearance, he said he received the P75 million in three tranches in January 2025 from donors who requested anonymity. He maintained that because the funds were received before the start of the official campaign period, they should be treated as "personal funds." Lacson, however, argued that Marcoleta could not invoke that defense because he was still serving as the SAGIP party-list representative when he received the money. GMA News Online has reached out to Marcoleta for comment but has yet to receive a response. — VBL, GMA News