Comelec transmits Marcoleta SOCE and election records to Ombudsman

Comelec Chair George Erwin Garcia said in a Laguna interview on Monday, June 1, 2026 that the poll body had complied with an Office of the Ombudsman subpoena duces tecum and transmitted Sen. Rodante Marcoleta's Statement of Contributions and Expenditures for the May 2025 elections, alongside the underlying campaign finance records that fed the Commission's own internal review. The transmittal puts on the Ombudsman's record the documentary basis of the May 21, 2026 preliminary investigation order that required Marcoleta to file a counter-affidavit on plunder under Republic Act 7080, indirect bribery under Article 211 of the Revised Penal Code, and violation of Presidential Decree 46. The underlying allegation is that Marcoleta accepted P75 million in campaign donations on January 6, 8, and 9, 2026 from former Quezon City Representative Michael Defensor (P30 million), Joseph Espiritu (P25 million), and Aristotle Viray (P20 million) and omitted them from his SOCE. Garcia framed the action as routine compliance with a lawful request and declined to comment on the merits. The Marcoleta camp has not contested the underlying donation figures but has called the case "trumped-up"; co-respondent Defensor has called it "completely baseless".