Source: ABS-CBN News
MANILA – (UPDATE) Graft convict Imelda Marcos claimed she was suffering from “multiple organ infirmities,” forcing her to skip the Sandiganbayan’s promulgation of her case.
In a motion before the court’s 5th Division, Marcos said she was told by her doctor to “refrain from stressful conditions” that will put her at risk of “heart and brain attack and recurrence of seizure.”
The motion was filed by Marcos’ lawyer, Manuel Lazaro last Monday and was only released to the media on Thursday.
The Marcos matriarch is said to be suffering from at least 7 health conditions, according to a medical certificate issued by St. Luke’s Medical Center adult neurologist Dr. Joven Cuanang.
In the medical certificate dated Nov. 12, 2018 issued by Dr. Cuanang, Marcos is “under chronic medical care for several years now.”
Cuanang said he regularly coordinates the medical care of Marcos with various doctors and nurses he named in the medical certificate.
He listed seven conditions affecting Marcos: diabetes mellitus type 2, hypertension and atheroscelerotic cardio-vascular disease, static ministrokes, moderately severe sensorineural hearing loss, chronic recurrent urinary tract infection, chronic recurrent gastritis and multiple colon polyps, recurrent respiratory tract infection.
Cuanang said the ministrokes are “due to cerebral scars from a previous surgery for chronic subdural hematoma.” He qualified the conditions as “multiple organ infirmities.”
“For these multiple organ infirmities, she is under period surveillance in cooperation with her nurses to keep her on optimal health at her age,” Cuanang said in the medical certificate.
He also said Marcos is on “many supplements to improve her immune system.”
Marcos was publicly criticized for not attending the promulgation of her 7 graft cases. The anti-graft court found the widow of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. guilty of 7 counts of graft for using her position to maintain her Swiss bank accounts during their rule.
On the day of her case’s promulgation, however, the Ilocos Norte representative was seen attending the birthday party of her daughter, Governor Imee Marcos.
Among the officials seen with her in the party were Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile.
The Sandiganbayan last Tuesday deferred the arrest warrant against the Ilocos Norte Representative after she filed a motion for leave of court to avail post-conviction remedies.