MANILA — Senator Rodante Marcoleta and former congressman Mike Defensor pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges of violating Presidential Decree No. 46, which prohibits government officials from accepting gifts and private individuals from giving them.
The arraignment was held before the Sandiganbayan Fourth Division, where both accused formally denied the allegations after waiving the reading of the case information through their respective counsels.
Associate Justice Frederick Musngi, chairperson of the Fourth Division, asked Marcoleta and Defensor if they fully understood the charges filed against them. Both answered in the affirmative.
The court also noted that neither accused sought the consolidation of the case with those pending before other divisions of the anti-graft court.
The Fourth Division subsequently scheduled the pretrial proceedings on August 12.
State prosecutors have filed three separate counts of violation of Presidential Decree No. 46 against Marcoleta. His other two gift-related cases are being heard by the Sandiganbayan First and Third Divisions.
Marcoleta’s co-accused in the First Division case is Aristotle Viray, while Joseph Espiritu is his co-accused in the Third Division proceedings.
Earlier, Marcoleta and Espiritu likewise entered not guilty pleas before the Sandiganbayan Third Division in connection with another alleged violation of the same decree.
Aside from the gift-related charges, Marcoleta is also facing a non-bailable plunder case before the Third Division together with Espiritu and businessman Aristotle Viray. The case involves an alleged P75-million campaign donation received while Marcoleta was serving as a party-list lawmaker, which prosecutors claim was not disclosed in his financial and campaign statements.
According to prosecutors, the amount consisted of P30 million from Defensor, P25 million from Espiritu, and P20 million from Viray.
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