Enrile still in ICU, daughter says

FORMER Senator Juan Valentin F. Ponce Enrile, Sr., who is currently the presidential chief legal counsel, is still confined in the intensive care unit (ICU), where he is being treated for pneumonia, his daughter said.

“He is under the dedicated care of his attending physicians and medical staff who are providing him the best possible treatment and attention,” Katrina Ponce Enrile said in a statement shared on her social media account on Wednesday.

“We are deeply grateful for the concern, prayers, and support extended to our family during this time.”

Senator Jose “Jinggoy” P. Estrada initially broke the news during Tuesday’s Senate plenary session, where he said the 101-year-old Mr. Enrile has “slim chances of surviving,” according to his “reliable source.”

This prompted the chamber to offer a short prayer, led by Senator Joel J. Villanueva.

Mr. Enrile also served President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s father and namesake, as minister for justice and defense under the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

He also served as the 21st Senate President from 2008 to 2013, stepping down amid allegations of his involvement in the pork barrel scam.

He was later incarcerated, posting bail in 2015 based on humanitarian reasons. In October, an anti-graft court acquitted him of 15 graft charges. — CAT