FACT CHECK: Marcoleta did not resign following ‘no’ vote in 2026 budget

Claim: Senator Rodante Marcoleta has stepped down from office after voting against the ratification of the national budget for 2026.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A YouTube video posted by “Trending Pinas News” on January 4 bears the title: “Kakapasok lang! Marcoleta, di kinaya ang kahihiyan; biglang nagbitiw sa pwesto.” 

(Just in! Marcoleta couldn’t bear the shame; suddenly resigns from his post.)

The video’s narration opens by describing a “shocking development” and claims that Marcoleta “backed out” following a decision by the Senate.

The narrator states: “Sobrang nakakagulat na balita: Senator Rodante Marcoleta biglang umatras, hindi kinaya ang desisyon ng Senado. Binulgar na ang ebidensya, tumistigo na si Senator [Sherwin] Gatchalian.”

(Shocking news: Senator Rodante Marcoleta suddenly backs out, unable to accept the Senate’s decision. The evidence has been exposed, and Senator Gatchalian has already testified.)

The same claim is reiterated in the video’s thumbnail. The video then goes on to discuss Marcoleta’s vote against the ratification of the 2026 budget.

As of writing, the video has garnered over 3,800 views, 93 likes, and seven comments.

The facts: Marcoleta has not resigned. There are no credible reports from the Senate, nor from the senator’s official social media pages, confirming such reports. He remains on the list of senators of the 20th Congress.

The actual content of the video focuses entirely on Marcoleta’s decision to vote against the bicameral conference committee report on the 2026 budget, with no mention of his supposed resignation from the Senate.

Marcoleta voted “No” to the ratification of the 2026 national budget in late December 2025, citing “concrete audit findings, fiscal patterns, and policy distortions surrounding various financial assistance programs or ayuda.” The senator also highlighted the restoration of unprogrammed appropriations and expressed concerns that increased aid and standby allocations could facilitate political favoritism, despite existing safeguards.

In his statement, he said, “With a heavy heart, I cast my ‘no’ vote. I stand by my conviction to prevent possible abuses of the budget. Safeguards on paper are not always enough. We must learn from the mistakes of the past and ensure public funds truly serve the people.”

While the video does describe Marcoleta’s “No” vote and his reasons for opposing the budget, the claim implied by the title and thumbnail is not supported by the information presented. 

There is also no portion of the video that shows Gatchalian supposedly testifying against Marcoleta. The video’s framing is misleading and encourages viewers to draw conclusions based on the headline and visuals rather than on the video’s actual content.

2026 national budget: Both chambers of Congress ratified the bicameral conference committee report on the proposed 2026 national budget on December 29, 2025.  

The 2026 Philippine national budget, totaling P6.793 trillion, was approved and signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on January 5, 2026, as Republic Act No. 12314. The President vetoed over P92.5 billion in unprogrammed appropriations, less than half of the amount Congress had agreed upon and approved.

Aside from Marcoleta, Senator Robin Padilla also voted against the ratification of the budget, citing unclear allocations and regional funding gaps. Several other senators approved with reservations. (READ: Why 12 lawmakers voted against the 2026 budget passed by the House)

Meanwhile, Gatchalian reassured the public that the budget is “101%” no longer prone to corruption, adding that the measure provides the highest investment in education in the country’s history. – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com

Efren Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar who graduated with a degree in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024. 

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