By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo Lacson said Senator Rodante Marcoleta failed to directly deny allegations linking him to a supposed request for P500 million worth of government project allocations tied to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
In a post on X, Lacson pointed out that while Marcoleta addressed several issues during his privilege speech, he allegedly avoided confronting the central issue involving a handwritten note attached to documents presented during the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation.
According to Lacson, the note — allegedly written by late DPWH Undersecretary Maria Catalina Cabral — mentioned the release of P500 million to “Cong. Marcoleta.”
The senator emphasized that Marcoleta did not explicitly refute the authenticity or existence of the handwritten notation.
The controversy stems from the Blue Ribbon Committee’s partial report on alleged irregularities tied to “allocables,” or government funds included in agency budgets for projects later identified or endorsed by lawmakers.
Lacson said the document containing the handwritten note came directly from Cabral’s camp and has yet to be submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman, though he intends to formally turn it over as part of the investigation.
He also clarified that the term “Cong. Marcoleta” could theoretically refer either to Senator Marcoleta, who served in the House of Representatives during the 19th Congress, or to his son, Paolo Henry Marcoleta.
However, Lacson noted that the issue concerns the crafting of the 2025 national budget in 2024, a period when only Rodante Marcoleta was serving as a member of Congress.
During his own privilege speech earlier this week, Marcoleta argued that the Blue Ribbon report lacked proper context and presented an incomplete narrative regarding the alleged allocation request.
He claimed that the documents cited by Lacson failed to show the full story and insisted that references to “P500” did not clearly establish wrongdoing on his part.
Marcoleta also expressed frustration that he was publicly linked to the controversy while other lawmakers mentioned in affidavits by witnesses were allegedly not given similar attention in the report.
The issue adds another layer to ongoing Senate investigations surrounding public fund allocations and alleged irregularities tied to infrastructure budgeting and congressional endorsements.
ia/xf
