Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 17)— Rep. Rodante Marcoleta is staging a comeback at the House of Representatives after he took his oath on Thursday as one of SAGIP party-list’s representatives.
This comes after weeks of waiting as to what government post he will be taking under the Marcos administration.
In his social media page, Marcoleta bared that he and incoming Rep. Caroline Tanchay took their oath as representatives of SAGIP Party-List before Supreme Court Associate Justice Jose Midas P. Marquez.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) later on confirmed Marcoleta’s return to Congress, citing his successful substitution as the party-list’s second nominee.
Comelec acting spokesperson Rex Laudiangco said no rule bans Marcoleta from being a substitute despite his previous Senate bid.
“On election laws and rules none on those who withdrew their candidacy prior to the election (are banned),” he said in a message to the media on Friday.
Aside from representing the party-list since 2016, Marcoleta was also deputy speaker in the 18th Congress since 2019.
President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. had said that Marcoleta is one of those being considered for a Cabinet position under the new administration, specifically for the Energy Department.
In the 2022 elections, Marcoleta initially ran for a Senate seat under the PDP-Laban and UniTeam, only to withdraw in April due to “poor showing” in pre-election surveys.
