Former Senate President and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile is alive and currently confined in the intensive care unit (ICU), contrary to circulating social media posts claiming he has passed away.
His daughter Katrina confirmed that Enrile is in the ICU and in poor condition.
The confirmation came after Senator Jinggoy Estrada announced during a Senate plenary session that Enrile was hospitalized due to pneumonia.
Following the announcement, senators led by Senator Joel Villanueva offered a short prayer for Enrile during the session.
Enrile, one of the oldest living figures in Philippine politics, turned 101 years old last February 14.
Born as Juanito Furugganan on February 14, 1924, Enrile served as Justice Secretary and Defense Minister under the Marcos regime.
He later became one of the leaders of the 1986 People Power Revolution alongside General Fidel V. Ramos, which ousted Ferdinand Marcos from power.
Enrile continued his political career afterward, serving as Senate President from November 2008 to June 2013.
He was born in Gonzaga, Cagayan, to Petra Furugganan, the daughter of a poor fisherman, and was the illegitimate child of Alfonso Ponce Enrile, a prominent lawyer and politician.
Enrile married Cristina Castañer but later divorced. His only sibling was the late singer Armida Siguion Reyna.