Rodante Marcoleta

Senator Rodante Marcoleta, an ally of Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, was arrested on July 6, 2026, on charges of large-scale plunder. His arrest occurred just hours before the Senate was set to begin an impeachment trial for Duterte-Carpio, where Marcoleta was slated to serve as a senator-judge. The influential religious group Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) has publicly challenged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. over the probe into Marcoleta, staging a protest to demand the presidential palace cease its pursuit of the senator. Marcoleta's arrest and the subsequent protest by the INC highlight his political significance and his connections within the Philippine political landscape, particularly his alignment with Vice President Duterte-Carpio and his ties to a powerful religious movement.