Sen. Rodante Marcoleta on Tuesday claimed there was a clear “pattern” of government harassment against him, saying the moves being taken in connection with his looming plunder case appeared to be “planned.”
“Mga minamahal kong mga kababayan, nakikita po inyo yung pattern sa mga nagdaang araw. Mas uunahin po nila yung tao na nagmamalasakit sa inyo para palitawin natin ang katotohanan. Ngunit yung taong nasa likod ng lahat ng kasalanang ito ng pagnanakaw, hanggang ngayon ay wala pa po silang ginagawang pag-uusig,” Marcoleta said in a video uploaded on Facebook.
(My beloved countrymen, you have seen the pattern these past days. They are going after the people who care about uncovering the truth, while those behind this massive corruption in government have yet to be prosecuted.)
Marcoleta said former Speaker Martin Romualdez, whom he described as the “big fish” in the flood control projects mess, has had a pending case since April but has yet to face action. He also claimed that former public works secretary Manuel Bonoan was being used by the government as a state witness.
The senator said the government appeared to be zeroing in on him because of his efforts to expose and hold accountable those allegedly behind massive corruption.
He said the cases announced by the Office of the Ombudsman were intended to have him jailed, which would prevent him from continuing his anti-corruption advocacy and participating in the impeachment proceedings set to begin next week.
“Ngunit kapag ako’y kanilang inaresto, hindi na po matutuloy yan. Akala po nila at maililibing ito sa limot. Ang isa pa pong inaasahan nila ay hindi na po ako makakasali doon sa impeachment proceedings na nakatakda pong magsimula sa susunod na linggo. Samakatuwid, dalawang ibon sa isang putok, mga kababayan,” Marcoleta said.
(But if they arrest me, that will no longer push through. They think this will just be buried and forgotten. They are also expecting that I will no longer be able to participate in the impeachment proceedings scheduled to start next week. Therefore, they are hitting two birds with one stone.)
Marcoleta said the alleged plan became apparent weeks before the Ombudsman announced the filing of charges against him, citing an earlier statement by Sen. Panfilo Lacson that at least nine senators could be jailed.
“Parang alam na niya ang mangyayari,” Marcoleta said.
(It seems he already knew what would happen.)
Lacson rejected Marcoleta’s claim, accusing him of “gaslighting.”
“It’s gaslighting time once more. The mention of nine senators being possibly incarcerated was a hypothetical statement in the context of determining the base number to compute the constitutional requirement of two-thirds vote of all senators actively participating or not in the impeachment trial,” Lacson said.
Lacson had earlier raised concern that the Supreme Court may have to intervene if the impeachment court were reduced to a “mere formality for acquittal” should at least nine of the 24 senator-judges be detained or suspended, similar to the case of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.
Marcoleta said he had previously warned that he could be arrested to stop him from exposing corruption and joining the impeachment trial, which is scheduled to start on July 6.
He urged his supporters to oppose what he described as government efforts to “bend the law,” which he linked to Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla.
Marcoleta also recalled that during a Blue Ribbon Committee hearing, a senator said “sometimes we have to bend the law,” to which Remulla supposedly agreed.
Marcoleta did not identify the senator, but he was apparently referring to Sen. Erwin Tulfo, who said during the hearing that “sometimes you have to bend the law in order to please the people.”
Tulfo made the remark in the context of efforts to recover stolen public funds, particularly his proposal to require officials to return alleged ill-gotten wealth before they are admitted into the Witness Protection Program.
Marcoleta maintained that the Discaya couple should be admitted into the WPP even without first returning the alleged stolen money, saying only the court can determine how much should be returned.
Tulfo later clarified that he did not mean violating the law, saying his statement referred to flexibility, leniency, and humanitarian exceptions in implementing legal procedures, particularly for individuals showing good faith by voluntarily returning ill-gotten wealth.
Lacson, meanwhile, said he is confident Remulla will not give in to pressure amid mass actions by Iglesia ni Cristo members in support of Marcoleta.
“Ombudsman Boying (Remulla) is tough as a Caviteno will always be. I trust that he won’t cave in to the INC rallies and pressure — not today, not tomorrow, and certainly not when Sen. Marcoleta’s plunder case is filed in court as earlier announced,” Lacson said.
He said Marcoleta’s supporters may block EDSA and “cause traffic jams and chaos to the discomfort of ordinary commuters,” but expressed confidence that the Philippine National Police and other agencies would maintain peace and order.
Sen. Risa Hontiveros also rejected Marcoleta’s allegation of a pattern, saying the legal problems of some senators stem from different circumstances.
“I don’t see that kind of pattern or ongoing development. Kasi kahit alin sa mga legal troubles or woes na yan…and you did mention also one of our colleagues, even in the majority, umaandar yan over the past few years already, hindi biglaan ngayon dahil palapit na ang isang importanteng institutional process…The different processes are meeting together at this one upcoming crossroads, and mahirap man harapin, it makes the situation more complex,” Hontiveros said in an interview with ANC.
(I don’t see that kind of pattern or ongoing development. Those legal troubles or woes, including one involving a colleague from the majority, have been moving over the past few years already. They did not suddenly arise just because an important institutional process is approaching. The different processes are meeting together at this one upcoming crossroads, and while difficult to face, it makes the situation more complex.)
Hontiveros said the senators involved would have to face their respective cases, adding that the Senate has no control over its co-equal branches of government.
She said the impeachment court should discuss the base number for determining the votes needed for conviction, noting that only 22 senators are currently able to participate in the impeachment trial.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is detained, while Sen. Ronald dela Rosa is in hiding due to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.