Former President Joseph "Erap" Estrada, who is battling COVID-19, was using a mechanical ventilator to breathe after his pneumonia worsened on Tuesday, his son, former Senator Jinggoy Estrada, said.
The younger Estrada said his father was brought to the hospital’s intensive care unit and intubated on Monday night so he could breathe properly.
Despite this, the older Estrada's vital signs are normal, Jinggoy said, as he appealed to the public for prayers.
“I am appealing for your prayers for my father, for his speedy recovery,” the former senator said.
Jinggoy could not say if his father, who was sedated because of the intubation, was "out of danger" but said his condition is guarded.
A former senator and Vice President, Estrada was last in public service as Manila City mayor from 2013 until 2019.
Another son of Estrada, former Senator JV Ejercito, lamented that "COVID is unpredictable," saying: "My dad was recuperating very well the past few days when suddenly it shifted yesterday when his Pneumonia worsened, thus the need to use a ventilator."
"Your prayers would mean a lot," JV wrote on his social media account.
Jinggoy said his father may have gotten the virus from a recent visitor.
The former chief executive, who is turning 84 on April 19, tested positive for the respiratory illness last week.
On Friday, he addressed the public through a video, despite being hooked up to an oxygen line, to express his gratitude for their prayers, as he assured them that he is fine.
Estrada won the presidency in 1998 but saw his term cut in 2001 as he was ousted over corruption allegations.
He was convicted of plunder in 2007 and sentenced to life imprisonment, but his successor, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, pardoned him a month later.