MANILA, Philippines -- (UPDATE 2) Agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” Bolante is in stable condition but needs to undergo further medical tests because of his fluctuating blood pressure and significant weight loss, his doctor said.

In a press conference Thursday, Dr. Romeo Saavedra, Bolante's doctor for the past 15 years also said there had been a “significant narrowing” of Bolante's vessels.

"We want to make sure that in the next few days, when he's going to engage in stressful activities, it is not detrimental to his health," said Saavedra.

"He's no longer complaining of chest pain, I think he's well rested...but he is relatively weak," he added.

Saavedra said Bolante would also undergo a stress test, a treadmill exercise, Thursday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, a University of the Philippines law professor who has been pushing hard for Bolante’s prosecution said neither Bolante nor St. Luke’s can claim the former agriculture official is entitled to the “right of privacy.”

“He is already under the jurisdiction of the Senate. He was the one who requested he be brought to a hospital and it was granted at the behest of the Senate,” Roque said.

Roque added that Bolante is considered a “public figure because of his involvement in the fertilizer fund scam. So he cannot claim absolute right to privacy. That right has been waived.”

The lawyer also said the hospital “has an obligation to tell the public the condition of Mr. Bolante because we have a right to know his fitness to testify before the Senate.”

Bolante arrived in the country Tuesday after being deported by US authorities.

He slipped out of the country and flew to the US after the Senate ordered his arrest in 2005 for his repeated failure to honor invitations and summonses to explain his role in the P728 million fertilizer fund scam.

But he was arrested by US authorities and his visa cancelled. Instead of agreeing to being deported, he sought political asylum and was consequently detained in Kenyosha, Wisconsin pending resolution of his plea.

Early last month, a US appellate court junked Bolante’s petition for asylum and ruled that there was no reason to delay his deportation to the Philippines. The court said Bolante failed to prove he was being persecuted in the Philippines.