FORMER Philippine President Joseph “Erap” Ejercito Estrada has reportedly been removed from ventilator support.
In a Facebook post, his son, former Senator Jinggoy Estrada, expressed happiness over the improvement of the family patriarch’s condition.
“We are extremely happy to announce that my father has now been removed from ventilator support although he continues to require high flow oxygenation,” he said Friday, April 9.
“While we thank his doctors for their excellent care, we give all the credit to Our Lord Almighty and enjoin everyone to continue praying for my father,” the younger Estrada added.
Earlier, he said that his father “seems to be responding well to treatment,” noting that his other organ functions “remain stable.”
“We still have a long way to go before he is completely out of danger and we hope that he continues to fight with his usual tenacity as only Erap can,” said Jinggoy.
“Thank you again for all your love, support and prayers,” he added.
Estrada was rushed to the hospital on March 28 and tested positive for COVID-19.
He was said to be in “a stable condition,” but was sedated and moved to the intensive care unit on April 4.
On April 6, Estrada was placed on mechanical ventilation following the doctors’ recommendation “to improve oxygen delivery” and “prevent the tiring” of his respiratory system.
Estrada, 83, served as the country’s president from 1998 to 2001 until he was ousted after a series of protests on EDSA held from January 16 to 20, 2001 amid his trial for plunder charges.
He was convicted of plunder in 2007, but his successor former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo pardoned him.
Estrada also served as mayor of the city of Manila from 2013 to 2019.
