MANILA — A Philippine anti-graft court moved to arrest a key ally of Vice President Sara Duterte on Monday, issuing a warrant for Senator Rodante Marcoleta on a plunder charge just hours before the Senate convened a high-profile impeachment trial that could shape Duterte’s political future.
Marcoleta had been set to serve as a senator-judge in the impeachment proceedings against Duterte. If two-thirds of the 24-member Senate votes to convict her, Duterte could be disqualified from running in the 2028 elections, in which she is currently considered the leading candidate to succeed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Marcos and Duterte ran together on a joint ticket in 2022, but that partnership has since collapsed into an intense rivalry.
The anti-graft court issued the arrest warrant after the Ombudsman’s office accused Marcoleta of accepting 75 million pesos — roughly $1.2 million — from private donors during his 2025 Senate campaign, an alleged violation of anti-corruption laws. The court also issued a hold departure order, barring the senator from leaving the Philippines.
In a statement released last week, the Ombudsman declared, “A public servant owes no personal debt to any donor that supersedes what they owe the Filipino people.”
News of the impending arrest sparked protests last week, organized by a religious group with 2 million members. The demonstrations snarled traffic throughout the capital, Manila, and forced Marcos to cancel scheduled events outside the presidential palace.
Marcoleta’s office had not issued a response as of Monday. The senator told supporters last week that he was ready to face imprisonment.
The case is not the first of its kind in recent weeks. Last month, Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada was taken into custody on plunder charges amid suspicions that he accepted kickbacks connected to infrastructure projects.
