The World - News from May 24, 1989

The condition of former Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos has deteriorated to the point where he is dependent on life-support machines, and the prospects for his survival are slim, his doctors said at a Honolulu news conference. “It’s a miracle he’s survived so far,” said Dr. Calvin Wong, Marcos’ cardiologist. Dr. Livingston Wong, a transplant specialist, would not say how long Marcos might live. “I think if you asked any one of us, we’d all say he has a low probability of long-term survival,” Wong said. Marcos’ life is threated by a massive bacterial infection, kidney failure, cardiac failure, pulmonary failure and pneumonia. Marcos, 71, is unable to breathe on his own and is undergoing constant kidney dialysis, the doctors said.