MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Another Philippine senator was arrested on allegations of plunder Monday, becoming the latest member of the upper legislative chamber to be taken into custody in more than a month over suspicion of large-scale corruption.Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, who denies committing any wrongdoing, was taken into police custody at the Sandiganbayan special anti-graft court in suburban Quezon city where he went with his lawyers to question the charges against him and seek a delay in the enforcement of his arrest.“Let’s respect that,” Marcoleta, a 71-year-old lawyer, told reporters outside the courtroom, referring to the court’s decision to order his arrest based on a preliminary finding on his case. He was later whisked away by police officers. A plunder charge does not allow for bail.Marcoleta belongs to Iglesia ni Cristo, or Church of Christ, which staged a three-day rally by more than 15,000 members in a democracy shrine along metropolitan Manila’s busiest main road to protest the filing of charges against him and his impending arrest. The rally sparked a huge traffic jam.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. cancelled two official engagements outside his office Tuesday due to alarm over the protest by the religious group, which known for its ability to organize huge rallies.
