Former Senate President and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile is currently confined in the intensive care unit (ICU) of an undisclosed hospital due to pneumonia, his daughter Katrina Enrile confirmed on Tuesday, November 11.
In a message to GMA Integrated News, Katrina shared that her 101-year-old father remains under close medical supervision.
“Dad is in the ICU pa po. He isn’t doing too good,” she said.
Her statement came shortly after Senator Jinggoy Estrada announced during the Senate plenary session that Enrile was in critical condition, citing information from what he called a “very reliable source.”
“I have just received very, very sad information that our former colleague, former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, is currently in the intensive care unit of an undisclosed hospital suffering from pneumonia,” Estrada told his colleagues.
“I heard from a very, very reliable source that he has slim chances of surviving,” he added.
At Estrada’s request, the Senate offered a short prayer for Enrile, led by Senator Joel Villanueva, who lifted up the former lawmaker’s life and service to the nation.
“At this moment, we humbly pray and lift up to You the life of our colleague, mentor, Senate President, fellow public servant, who has dedicated his life in service to our countrymen — Senator Juan Ponce Enrile,” Villanueva said in Filipino.
Enrile, who celebrated his 101st birthday in February, was last seen in public in October, appearing frail while attending via video the promulgation of his graft cases related to the pork barrel scam, from which he was later cleared.
A veteran of Philippine politics, Enrile first entered the Senate in 1987, later becoming Senate President from 2008 to 2013. He also served as Defense Minister under President Ferdinand Marcos Sr. before playing a key role in the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, where he withdrew his support from the elder Marcos.
He was appointed Chief Presidential Legal Counsel by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in 2022, marking one of the most enduring careers in Philippine political history.
As of press time, no official medical bulletin has been released by Enrile’s family or office.
