Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla said that the filing of a plunder case against Senator Rodante Marcoleta would push through amid calls from a protest in Quezon City to abolish the complaints.

In an ambush interview with reporters at an event in Pasay City, Remulla asserted that he felt no pressure from what he classified as a “freedom of expression” from members of Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC).

“Nothing has changed. We will file,” the official firmly said.

“There is no selective justice in this country when it comes to the Ombudsman,” he noted.

Questions around the recent announcement of the Ombudsman to charge Marcoleta with plunder were mounted after thousands of INC members stormed the EDSA People Power Monument.

The protesters sought to defend the senator as they claimed that the investigative body was merely “bending the law” in favor of silencing critics of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The case itself was said to have been built on the receipt of Marcoleta of P75-million in campaign donations last 2025 from three private individuals.

A probe had been conducted on the matter at the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), however, any criminal liability was ruled out as investigators did not see the issue as an electoral offense.

The Ombudsman, on the other hand, viewed it as a criminal case particularly as the funds were supposedly undisclosed in the senator’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN).

Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano clarified during a press conference on Tuesday, 30 June, that Marcoleta had committed a violation in line with a section of the anti-plunder law.

In the said guideline, public officials are barred from receiving forms of gifts and donations regardless of whether the funds used for the same are from private or public sources.

Through a speech delivered by Remulla on the same day, he affirmed that no one was above the law in the country—regardless of how high or low their position in government was.

He maintained that the Ombudsman was focused on ensuring that its investigations remained objective and focused on the evidence as it was eager to restore public trust in government.

“That is the duty we swore to uphold—to look after everything. To shape the public's mindset regarding the unwavering spirit required of a government servant,” he expressed.

Aside from the senator, Remulla mentioned that their cases linked to flood control against Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Senator Joel Villanueva, and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez are currently in the preliminary investigation stage.

As for Marcoleta, the Ombudsman said that the information concerning the case would be filed within the week to the Sandiganbayan.

Notably, Senator Jinggoy Estrada was also filed with a case of plunder and graft in early May and is currently detained at New Quezon City Jail - Male Dormitory in Payatas.