Senator Rodante Marcoleta was arrested on Monday after the Sandiganbayan denied his bid to hold in abeyance the issuance of an arrest warrant in connection with the plunder case against him. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla said Marcoleta voluntarily went to the Sandiganbayan in the morning to pursue legal remedies but was taken into custody after the anti-graft court denied his motion for reconsideration to suspend the proceedings and prevent the issuance of the warrant.

“Was he arrested or did he surrender? It was both,” Remulla told reporters in a press briefing at Camp Crame.

“He went to the Sandiganbayan to file a motion to quash at around 8:30 a.m. When his motion was denied, the Sandiganbayan was locked down and he was not allowed to leave. Subsequently, the arresting team arrived. So it was both,” Remulla said.

Marcoleta appeared before the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division — which is handling his plunder case — to argue his motion to quash the information and his motion for reconsideration. While the court denied his request to stop the issuance of the warrant, it has yet to resolve his motion to quash.

Before being taken into custody, Marcoleta said he was prepared to face whatever action the court would take.

“When I came here, I was expecting all the processes that the court may undertake. Like I said before, I will not hide, I will face the law,” he said.

“One of my desires when I got here was that if the warrant of arrest was served, I would accept it,” he added.

Philippine National Police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group director Maj. Gen. Robert Morico II later escorted Marcoleta to Camp Crame in Quezon City where he underwent booking procedures, including fingerprinting, mug shots, and a medical examination.

Remulla said the 72-year-old senator would undergo further medical evaluation, including an electrocardiogram, before being transferred to detention.

The plunder case stemmed from allegations that Marcoleta received P75 million in campaign donations when he was the representative of Sagip Partylist. The Office of the Ombudsman said the amount was not declared in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures and Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

Meanwhile, former Representative Mike Defensor and businessman Joseph Espiritu, who were identified as among the alleged donors, were also arrested Monday after the Sandiganbayan issued warrants against them. Both were brought to Camp Crame for booking before being transferred to the Quezon City Jail in Payatas.

Another co-accused, businessman Aristotle Viray, remained at large as of Monday, with police tracker teams serving the warrant at his known addresses.

The case arose from Marcoleta’s admission during his television program that he received P75 million from three individuals to support his senatorial campaign in the 2025 elections.

Although the Commission on Elections earlier ruled that the transactions did not constitute an election offense because they occurred before the official campaign period, the Ombudsman proceeded with the criminal charges, leading to the filing of the plunder case before the Sandiganbayan.