Sen. Rodante Marcoleta arrives at the Sandiganbayan in Quezon City on Wednesday, 15 July, for a hearing on the plunder case stemming from the alleged misuse of a P75-million donation involving former congressman Mike Defensor.
ANALY LABOR
After more than a week at the Philippine National Police (PNP) General Hospital, Sen. Rodante Marcoleta has recovered from pneumonia and is medically fit for detention, according to a panel of doctors from the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH).
During Wednesday's hearing before the Sandiganbayan Third Division, UP-PGH Director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi presented the findings of an independent medical evaluation conducted on Marcoleta.
Legaspi said five senior consultants from the hospital's Department of Internal Medicine unanimously concluded that the senator no longer required hospitalization, with all examinations and laboratory tests showing normal results.
He added that Marcoleta only needs maintenance medication for hypertension.
"I asked for an independent review on the x-rays from the PNP General Hospital... they agreed that there was pneumonia, so the medication PNP General Hospital took effect because it cleared up," Legaspi told reporters in an ambush interview.
The independent assessment also confirmed that Marcoleta had indeed suffered from pneumonia, validating the earlier diagnosis made by the PNP General Hospital.
Following the medical findings, the Sandiganbayan Third Division issued a commitment order directing Marcoleta's transfer to the Quezon City Jail-Male Dormitory in Payatas, where he will be detained alongside his co-accused while facing charges of plunder and violation of Presidential Decree No. 46.
The charges stem from allegations that Marcoleta received P75 million in campaign donations before the 2025 national elections but failed to declare the funds in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) and Statement of Campaign Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE).
The alleged donations came to light after Marcoleta discussed them during an online interview on 7 November 2025, prompting the filing of a complaint before the Commission on Elections.
The Comelec later ruled that Marcoleta could not be held liable for an election offense because the donations were received before he officially filed his certificate of candidacy.
