Senator Rodante Marcoleta was transferred to the Quezon City Jail Male Dormitory in Payatas shortly after 10:40 a.m. after being discharged from the PNP General Hospital.
The transfer followed an order from the Sandiganbayan Third Division directing that the senator be moved to a regular detention facility after medical findings showed that he no longer required hospital confinement.
Marcoleta was transported to the jail aboard a convoy escorted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). The transfer took place several hours after the court approved the order.
Before the transfer, the senator underwent a medical examination at the University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH). Doctors confirmed that he no longer had pneumonia and that his hypertension was under control.
The Sandiganbayan also clarified that it would first resolve Marcoleta’s motion to dismiss the plunder case before setting a hearing on his petition for bail.
Marcoleta had remained at the PNP General Hospital since his arrest on July 6 after experiencing chest pain and elevated blood pressure.
The pre-trial of the plunder case is scheduled for Aug. 10. During the proceedings, prosecutors are expected to present between 11 and 13 witnesses as the case moves forward.
The transfer to the Quezon City Jail followed the court’s determination that Marcoleta’s medical condition no longer required hospitalization. Court proceedings on the pending plunder case will continue according to the scheduled pre-trial while the Sandiganbayan considers the senator’s pending motion to dismiss.
