Senator Rodante Marcoleta will remain under the custody of the Philippine National Police General Hospital (PNPGH) due to his unstable medical condition, police officials said on Thursday.
PNPGH chief of Internal Medicine, Lt. Col. Benaly Bayani, said that based on the latest medical results, Marcoleta has high cholesterol, aside from mild pneumonia and degenerative disc disease.
"We are still waiting for the official result of the 2D Echo (two-dimensional echocardiogram). We already have the laboratories and the only findings we have is Dyslipidemia which is cholesterol, it's elevated, and it can block the veins. For now, the 2D Echo is the official result we are waiting for," Bayani told reporters in a chance interview at Camp Crame.
She said there is still uncertainty about the senator's duration of stay at the PNP General Hospital since his blood pressure remains fluctuating, and his medical condition has to be monitored considering he is 72 years of age.
Medical Assessment Ongoing
Bayani said once the laboratory and medical test results are out, she would wait for the recommendation of the rehabilitation doctors on whether Marcoleta needs to undergo further treatment.
"So far, I haven't talked to the rehab doctor, I was referred to him yesterday. The rehab is still under assessment so I'll just talk to him. Sa totoo lang wala po akong masabi sa ngayon, nag-aantay pa po tayo ng mga laboratories, mga further exams pala sa kanya at further assessment (Honestly, I can't say anything right now, we're still waiting for laboratories, further examinations on him, and further assessment)," she added.
Bayani further said Sandiganbayan will determine the next steps for Marcoleta once his medical assessment is complete. She said they have submitted to the anti-graft court an initial medical report on the senator for its evaluation after issuing an arrest warrant against him for a case of plunder.
Arrest Warrant and Related Cases
In a separate interview, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR) Col. John Guiagui said the arrest warrant issued by the Sandiganbayan against Marcoleta and former Rep. Mike Defensor for a case of violation of Presidential Decree (PD) 46 has already been served, and their bail was set at PHP30,000 each.
"It (PD 46) is a law that makes it a criminal offense for government officials and employees to receive and for private individuals to give gifts on any occasion. Ito yung pagtanggap, pagbigay sa anumang okasyon sa isang government official and/or employee; ito yung PD 46. Ito yung sinasabi ng 4th Division na nalabag nina Sen. Marcoleta and Michael Defensor (give on any occasion to a government official and/or employee; this is PD 46. This is what the 4th Division says Sen. Marcoleta and Michael Defensor violated). It (arrest warrant) was already served by the sheriff ng (of) Sandiganbayan," he said.
Defensor and Marcoleta, however, will remain in detention due to the separate non-bailable plunder case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman over undeclared campaign donations.
Commitment Order and Visits
Meanwhile, the PNP on Thursday confirmed that it has received the commitment order for Marcoleta issued by the Sandiganbayan. "The PNP confirms that a Commitment Order was issued by the Sandiganbayan placing Senator Marcoleta under the custody of the PNP CIDG pending trial and until further orders from the court," the PNP statement read.
It was the CIDG that served the arrest warrant against Marcoleta on July 6, after it was issued by the Third Division of the anti-graft court.
Senator Robin Padilla on Thursday visited Marcoleta at the PNPGH. Vice President Sara Duterte also visited Marcoleta on July 7, or a day after his arrest. Guiagui said Marcoleta’s immediate family members and lawyers are the senator's regular visitors.
The Sandiganbayan earlier designated the PNP-CIDG as the custodian of Marcoleta.
Comelec on Campaign Donation Cases
In a related development with regard to campaign donations, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairperson George Garcia said cases involving the lawmaker and three respondents in other government offices will not have an effect on the case pending before them.
"We will not be affected by other cases from other offices, meaning if other offices are conducting investigations, the case before the Comelec is for Comelec, the case before the (Office of the) Ombudsman is the Ombudsman's, and the case before the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) is BIR’s," he said at the sidelines of the Kick-off Ceremony for the printing of the official Bangsamoro Parliamentary Elections (BPE) ballots at the National Printing Office in Quezon City Thursday.
He, however, assured that they will cooperate with the other agencies also investigating the issue. "If they ask us for documents as a government agency, we will provide them as long as there is no violation of Data Privacy, and at the same time based on the determination of our data privacy officer. So, we are very much willing to cooperate," the poll body chief added.
