Jamaine Punzalan

Sen. Rodante Marcoleta joins a plenary session on May 11, 2026. Wendell Alinea,  Senate Social Media Unit

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PH SENATE

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/178331714134420260512-senate-coup-marcoleta-SSMU2 (2).jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Sen. Rodante Marcoleta joins a plenary session on May 11, 2026. Wendell Alinea,  Senate Social Media Unit </span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>MANILA — The <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/6/marcoleta-arrest-plunder-1023">arrest of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta</a> is a separate legal issue from <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/sara-duterte-impeachment-trial">Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial</a>, the prosecution panel said on Monday, after the senator-judge was arrested over his non-bailable plunder case shortly before the historic proceedings began in the Senate.</p><p>Marcoleta — a vocal ally of the Duterte family — is facing plunder charges after he admitted to receiving some P75 million in campaign donations without properly declaring the amount in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditure (SOCE).</p><p>“The case happened even before the impeachment… That’s an entirely different legal proceeding that involves a sitting senator,” said Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, one of the prosecution’s spokesperson.</p><p>“These are two separate legal processes that are not connected,” he said. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/sara-duterte-impeachment-trial">Impeachment Trial of Sara Duterte </a></div><p>Marcoleta is the third senator-judge who would fail to attend the trial after Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa went into hiding to evade an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC), and after Sen. Jinggoy Estrada was arrested for plunder linked to anomalous infrastructure projects.</p><p>The absences of 3 senator-judges has prompted questions about the possible adjustment of the two-third votes needed to convict the accused.</p><p>Prosecutors “are not engaged on vote-counting,” said Benjamin Tolosa Jr., one of the private lawyers on the prosecution panel.</p><p>“Baka premature pa po yan… Wala pa tayo sa panahon na magbotohan,” he said. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/6/five-things-to-know-about-the-vp-sara-duterte-and-her-impeachment-0949">Five things to know about VP Sara Duterte and her impeachment </a></div><p>While the prosecution is not too concerned about the absence of some senator-judges, they are more keen on seeing Duterte attend her own impeachment trial.</p><p>“Considering the seriousness of allegations in these proceedings nararapat lang na harapin ito nang personal ng Bise Presidente,” Tolosa said.</p><p>“It will also speak about the character of the respondent. It will show that she is taking seriously these allegations,” Adiong added.</p><p>“That reinforces her previous statements that she will answer in the proper forum…. And this is the proper forum,” he said.</p><p>Meanwhile, the prosecution said that it would wait for the Senate impeachment court’s ruling on the opening of Duterte’s tax records and the adjustment of the voting threshold before it files appropriate legal responses.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/6/duterte-says-impeachment-trial-attendance-a-matter-of-legal-strategy-1314">Duterte says impeachment trial attendance &#x27;a matter of legal strategy&#x27; </a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/6/paolo-duterte-hopes-vp-sara-impeachment-trial-will-allow-truth-to-emerge-1231">Paolo Duterte hopes VP Sara impeachment trial will allow ‘truth to emerge’ </a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/6/senate-impeachment-court-begins-historic-sara-duterte-trial-0848">Senate impeachment court all set for historic Sara Duterte trial </a></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XoYjjc_RPBw?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/7/6/marcoleta-arrest-plunder-1023">arrest of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta</a> is a separate legal issue from <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/sara-duterte-impeachment-trial">Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial</a>, the prosecution panel said on Monday, after the senator-judge was arrested over his non-bailable plunder case shortly before the historic proceedings began in the Senate.</p>

The arrest of Sen. Rodante Marcoleta is a separate legal issue from Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial , the prosecution panel said on Monday, after the senator-judge was arrested over his non-bailable plunder case shortly before the historic proceedings began in the Senate.

Prosecution distances Duterte impeachment from Marcoleta’s arrest

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Prosecution distances Duterte impeachment from Marcoleta’s arrest

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 06, 2026 01:52 PM PHT

Read More:

Sara Duterte impeachment trial

impeachment

Sara Duterte

OVP

prosecution

Zia Adiong

Rene Co

Benjamin Tolosa Jr

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