Marcos Hospitalized in Hawaii

Former Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos was in the intensive-care unit at St. Francis Medical Center on Wednesday after complaining of chest pains Tuesday night, a hospital spokeswoman said.

On Wednesday, the Philippine consul general here charged that the ousted president, who is listed in guarded condition, is just faking his medical problems to gain sympathy in his homeland and support for a bid to return home.

“I think these are charades, these chest pains are not substantiated medically,” Tomas Gomez said. “We are faced with a master manipulator.”

Hospital spokeswoman Cheryl Yoshina said Marcos had not undergone any tests but was expected to be given them later.

Marcos had admitted during an interview with reporters Tuesday that his health was poor, a rare statement for the former president who has often denied earlier reports of ill health.

Marcos also used the interview to criticize the government of Philippine President Corazon Aquino, saying her administration is corrupt and communists will take over within three years.

He reiterated his claim that his return to the Philippines is the only way that the country can avoid civil war. “If I return in a pine box there certainly will be a civil war,” he said.

The hospital would release no specific information about Marcos’ condition except that he would be hospitalized at least until today.

Gomez would not speculate on whether Marcos would be allowed to return to the Philippines, but in Manila, several politicians said he should be allowed to go home.