Part of donor's tax for Marcoleta's P75M campaign fund paid by his employee —witness - GMA Network

Part of the donor's tax for the P75 million worth of funds donated to Senator Rodante Marcoleta was paid by his employee, a witness told the Sandiganbayan on Thursday.

Field Investigation Bureau Director Maria Melinda Mananghaya-Henson made the testimony during the hearing on Marcoleta and his co-accused's petition for bail amid a P75 million plunder case filed against them.

"The two donors' taxes of accused Defensor and Espiritu was paid by the same person, Ebenezer Santos, who we found to be working for Senator Marcoleta," she said.

"While the payment of donor's taxes appears to come from different individuals, it is clear, based on the documents, that accused Marcoleta had a hand in the payment of donor's taxes," she added.

Henson was referring to Marcoleta's donors, former Anakalusugan party-list Rep. Michael Defensor and businessman Joseph Espiritu.

The other donor of Marcoleta who is also one of the accused in the case is Aristotle Viray.

Henson, however, said Ombudsman investigators concluded that there was collusion among Marcoleta's donors based on their donor's tax return filings and deeds of donation, among other documents.

"They all came to the same notary public in Pasig for their deeds of donation, on the same day, and they all belatedly had their deeds of donation notarized in November 2025," she said.

Based on the criminal information filed by the prosecution, the P75 million donation to Marcoleta was given to him in January 2025.

During the same hearing, Henson said the lawmaker's admission in a November 2025 television interview that he did not declare the campaign donations to him at the request of his donors showed that "Senator Marcoleta was more bound to his donors rather than the law." —AOL, GMA News