Marcoleta: INC silence reflects respect for courts

Sen. Rodante Marcoleta said Tuesday that the Iglesia ni Cristo’s (INC) perceived silence over his detention should not be interpreted as indifference, weakness or abandonment, saying the church is respecting the judicial process as his case remains before the courts.

In a statement issued on 22 September, Marcoleta said the INC had no obligation to publicly comment on his detention because the matter is now pending before the courts.

“Any open pronouncement must yield to orderly administration of justice and proper resolution of the case through established judicial procedures,” he said.

Marcoleta is being detained at the New Quezon City Jail over a non-bailable plunder case involving alleged undeclared campaign donations totaling P75 million. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Ombudsman filed the case against Marcoleta over three donations received in 2025, along with separate charges under Presidential Decree 46, which prohibits public officials from receiving gifts or benefits in connection with their official duties.

Marcoleta said the INC’s position should also be viewed in light of its religious teachings on persecution, trials and faith.

He said the church believes that its members, regardless of prominence, will not be exempt from “persecution and privation,” which he said are reflected in biblical accounts of tested faith.

“The faithful have already been forewarned by the Scriptures that they cannot evade trials and hardships in life as these must come to pass to purify and test the quality and steadfastness of their faith,” Marcoleta said.

He added that the INC’s silence “reflects neither acquiescence nor abandonment but fidelity to its deep-seated beliefs and respect for the judicial processes.”

The statement comes nearly three months after the INC publicly supported Marcoleta following the filing of the plunder case. On 30 June, the religious organization held a rally attended by thousands of members and issued a statement questioning the case against the senator.

At the time, INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala said the church supported Marcoleta’s advocacy and called for “transparency, accountability, justice and peace.”

The INC had also said it opposed what it described as the “distortion” of the law, while the Palace rejected claims that Marcoleta’s case constituted selective or politically motivated justice.

Marcoleta’s latest statement did not indicate that the INC had withdrawn its earlier support. Instead, he sought to distinguish the church’s current lack of public statements from any supposed abandonment of him.

The senator also remains involved in issues surrounding Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial. He has maintained that his detention does not strip him of his capacity as a senator-judge and recently said he would not seek temporary release merely to vote on the disputed conviction threshold.