Just days before the Senate impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, her key ally, Senator Rodante Marcoleta, has been hit with serious graft and plunder charges. The Philippine ombudsman alleges that Marcoleta failed to declare $1.2 million in unused campaign contributions, a sum that qualifies as plunder—a non-bailable offense under local law. While the ombudsman maintains that the decision to prosecute was based on solid evidence, including the senator's own public admission of receiving the funds, supporters from the influential Iglesia Ni Cristo church have decried the move as politically motivated "selective justice."

This legal challenge adds to a growing wave of pressure on the Duterte camp, as several of the vice president's allies currently face various criminal allegations. With some senators jailed, in hiding, or otherwise sidelined, the upcoming impeachment trial has sparked a constitutional debate regarding the voting threshold required for a conviction. As the House of Representatives pushes for Duterte’s removal over allegations ranging from corruption to conspiracy, the shifting composition of the Senate could ultimately determine whether the vice president is ousted and permanently barred from future political office.