Election lawyer Romulo Macalintal criticized the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for clearing Rodante Marcoleta over alleged undisclosed P75 million campaign donations.
The Comelec’s Political Finance and Affairs Department ended its probe, citing the repeal of disclosure requirements under the Omnibus Election Code and ruling there was no basis to file charges.
Marcoleta maintained the donations were received before he was officially declared a candidate, invoking existing jurisprudence.
However, the poll body recommended filing complaints against his donors for failing to submit contribution reports on time.
Macalintal questioned the ruling’s logic, arguing that if Marcoleta was not yet a candidate, the donations could not be treated as election contributions under the same law.
Source: PhilNews24 | March 24, 2026
