The Sandiganbayan Third Division authorized a one-day medical furlough for Senator Rodante Marcoleta, permitting him to undergo clinical evaluations for pre-existing conditions.
During a Thursday session, the anti-graft court granted Marcoleta—who is currently held at the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas alongside co-accused former Anakalusugan Representative Mike Defensor and businessmen Aristotle Viray and Joseph Espiritu—leave to undergo health tests at The Medical City in Pasig City on September 7.
Court records indicate the temporary release covers “necessary medical examinations” targeting “prostate enlargement, hypertension II, and high cholesterol.”
To secure the temporary release, the tribunal mandated that Marcoleta post a ₱30,000 bond for each of his three pending charges regarding violations of Presidential Decree No. 46, commonly known as the anti-gift law.
The lawmaker satisfied the requirement on the same day, paying a aggregate sum of ₱90,000.
In addition, the Third Division noted that Marcoleta’s challenge against his preventive suspension is now submitted for resolution, while the senator and his co-accused pursue a petition for bail concerning their underlying plunder charges.
During the same hearing, magistrates heard testimony from lawyer Victoria Kadeja Besinio of the Commission on Elections’ Political Finance and Affairs Department regarding the poll body’s independent inquiry into Marcoleta.
The Comelec En Banc voted in March to adopt the department’s recommendation to close its investigation after identifying no additional evidence of electoral infractions.
State prosecutors announced plans to call three Bureau of Internal Revenue officials to testify at the next bail proceeding scheduled for September 10.
The legal proceedings stem from a July 3 plunder filing by the Office of the Ombudsman involving ₱75 million in alleged unrecorded donations Marcoleta purportedly accepted while serving as a representative for the SAGIP Party-list, alongside three companion charges under PD No. 46 against the lawmaker and his co-respondents.