THE Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday said all respondents in the plunder case filed against Sen. Rodante Marcoleta by the Office of the Ombudsman have been arrested after the final accused was taken into custody in Quezon City.
PNP spokesperson Col. Allen Rae Co said Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) personnel arrested businessman Aristotle Viray, 55, at around 6:45 p.m. Monday at a gasoline station along Boni Serrano Avenue.
Viray’s arrest was carried out based on a warrant issued by the Sandiganbayan Third Division on July 6 for alleged violation of Republic Act 7080, or the Anti-Plunder Law, which is classified as a non-bailable offense.
Co said Viray complained of elevated blood pressure after his arrest and was brought to the PNP Health Service for medical assessment.
He was later cleared and stayed overnight before being scheduled for proceedings before the Sandiganbayan for the return of the warrant and issuance of a commitment order.
Earlier on Monday, Marcoleta surrendered and was placed under arrest following the denial of his motion to quash the arrest warrant by the Sandiganbayan.
Former congressman and Cabinet official Mike Defensor and businessman Joseph Espiritu, who are also co-accused in the case, were arrested separately at a coffee shop in Quezon City.
The three were brought by police to the Sandiganbayan for the return of their arrest warrants before being taken to Camp Crame for booking procedures.
During the booking process, Marcoleta was later transferred to the Philippine National Police General Hospital (PNPGH) after complaining of chest pains.
He was found to have high blood pressure.
Lt. Col. Benaly Bayani, chief of Internal Medicine at PNPGH, said the senator remained clinically stable but his blood pressure continued to fluctuate.
“Senator Marcoleta is hypertensive. We can say that he is clinically stable because his symptoms are on and off but his blood pressure is not stable, fluctuating,” Bayani said.
Bayani said doctors are continuing to monitor Marcoleta due to his age and current condition. The senator is set to turn 73 on July 29.
Police said medical examinations may take one to two days before a complete medical report can be submitted to the Sandiganbayan.
Bayani also confirmed that Vice President Sara Duterte visited Marcoleta at the PNPGH on Tuesday morning.
“Vice President Duterte arrived here at around 7:30 (a.m.) and she left at around 8:30 (a.m.),” she said.
Once cleared by doctors, Marcoleta is expected to be transferred to the New Quezon City Jail in Payatas, where his co-accused in the plunder case are detained, along with other high-profile detainees including Sen. Jinggoy Estrada and former senator Bong Revilla.
The plunder case stemmed from Marcoleta’s admission that he received P75 million in campaign contributions for his 2025 senatorial bid but did not declare the amount in his Statement of Contributions and Expenditures.
Defensor, Espiritu, and Viray were identified as the donors of the amount.
Photo courtesy of CIDG
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