THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, said it will speed up the probe into the Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (Soce) of Senator Rodante Marcoleta following the May 2025 midterm elections.
In an interview, Comelec Chairperson George Garcia said the commission is hastening deliberations on the recommendations of the Political Finance and Affairs Department (PFAD), which investigated the alleged misdeclaration in Soce of Senator Marcoleta.
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"We have to immediately come up with a disposition sapagkat alam namin ang interest involved by the public on this issue," Garcia said.
"Kailangan na kasi matagal na ang kaso. Kailangan magkaroon na ng disposition ang Commission," he added.
In his Soce, Marcoleta reported zero contributions received while spending P112.86 million during the 2025 polls.
However, questions arose regarding how Marcoleta spent P112.86 million when his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) showed a net worth of P51.9 million.
The senator explained that friends donated funds for his 2025 campaign.
Marcoleta said he intentionally did not declare the donations to honor the request of donors to remain anonymous.
Subsequently, the Comelec ordered the PFAD to conduct an investigation.
On Tuesday, Senator Panfilo Lacson questioned the length of time the Comelec has taken to resolve the matter. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
