Cong. Rodante Marcoleta

As the country grapples over a multi-faceted predicament made worse by an unforeseen energy crisis, one man stood in what appears to be a lonely battle against oligarchs calling shots for the energy sector.

The man, who seemed unmindful of the political backlash it may cause him, found himself in the middle of a jungle where only the fiercest could survive.

His name – Rodante Marcoleta. Oh yes, he’s the most vocal congressman who stood his ground against what he believed is unpopular but right. To cut the long story short, the demure partylist representative steered the chamber to prevent what he described then as the most influential family behind ABS-CBN, a Lopez-led media network.

And from how it looks, history just might repeat itself – this time against the oligarchs in control of the energy sector.

Marcoleta Who? For one, the 70-year old lawyer Rodante Marcoleta does not belong to any political clan. In fact, he’s one person who entered Philippine politics in quite a style – winning an election on his first crack and has since maintained his winning streak without much fanfare or billions to spend that typical politicians eyeing national positions do.

Coming from a religious organization known for strict adherence among its members, he secured a congressional seat the 13th Congress representing Alagad 2004 to 2007 and again in the 15th Congress from 2010 until 2013.