MANILA, Philippines — PNP spokesperson Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo said that Senator Juan Ponce Enrile was immediately brought to Makati Medical Center in the early hours of Thursday morning on account of pneumonia.
In a text message to reporters from online news source INQUIRER.net, Cerbo detailed that 91-year-old Enrile – who has been detained at the PNP General Hospital since July 2014 – was “not responding well to his medications.” As such, at approximately 3 a.m., hospital officials deemed it necessary to transfer the senator to another facility.
“On the authority of the movement, there is a standing resolution dated July 9, 2014 stating that in case of emergency and necessity, the Director of the Health Service and the PNP chief is authorized to transfer (Enrile) to another facility,” Cerbo expalined.
Enrile was escorted to the hospital in Makati City by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
In July 2014, Enrile was arrested on charges of graft and plunder, relative to the notorious P10-billion pork barrel scam. However, because of his frail condition and poor health, he was granted detention at the PNP General Hospital.