President ‘Very Well’ After Artery Surgery

President Fidel V. Ramos was back on his feet a day after undergoing surgery in Manila to remove a blockage in a major artery. He said he was feeling “very well.” Dressed in a yellow T-shirt and hospital pajamas and waving an unlit cigar, Ramos spoke to reporters in his hospital suite after meeting senior Cabinet ministers there. Ramos underwent a 75-minute operation Monday to remove a blockage in the carotid artery on the right side of his neck, which is one of the major passages for blood flowing to the brain. Officials had said the affliction could be life-threatening. Ramos said he wanted to spend Christmas with his grandchildren and hoped that he would be “out of here by that time.” Doctors have said the president could be discharged today or Thursday.