Fidel Ramos' health worries Philippines<\/p>\n
By Raju Gopalakrishnan<\/p>\n
MANILA (Reuter): President Fidel Ramos' brief stay in hospital
\nhas set off worries in the Philippines but financial markets have
\nremained calm because of his subsequent flurry of public
\nappearances, analysts said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Ramos, a youthful 68-year-old who jogs, plays golf and is
\nknown to enjoy a twirl on the dance floor, complained of pains in
\nhis joints last week and was admitted to hospital for the
\nweekend.<\/p>\n
Doctors said he was suffering from a throat infection and
\nalthough he was in good shape for his age, the president needed
\nto cut down on his workload.<\/p>\n
News of his illness broke last Friday evening but by the time
\nfinancial markets reopened on Monday, Ramos was back at work. The
\npeso remained stable and brokers said his illness had little
\neffect on the stock market.<\/p>\n
\"He came right out of hospital and he's still viewed as
\nhealthy and young for his years,\" said Mike Johnson, an analyst
\nwith the All Asia Capital and Trust Corp. brokerage.<\/p>\n
\"Ramos has maintained his image,\" he said, referring to
\nreports that the president attended a party in hospital during
\nhis stay and danced the cha cha with nurses.<\/p>\n
Ramos also held a televised news conference in hospital to
\ndemonstrate he was not seriously ill and attended several public
\nfunctions over the next few days.<\/p>\n
The foreign exchange market was also unaffected.<\/p>\n
\"Offshores hardly took any notice and inflows of investment
\ncontinued,\" said Jimmy Panganiban, treasury head at Bank of
\nAmerica in Manila.<\/p>\n
\"If it had been a heart attack, it would be different, but it
\nwas just a viral (infection),\" he added.<\/p>\n
Still, the illness has created some disquiet.<\/p>\n
Some newspapers said he suffered a mild stroke, and although
\nboth Ramos and his doctors have dismissed the reports, the
\nworries have persisted.<\/p>\n
\"The anxieties cannot be erased by putting up the false front
\nthat the president has recovered swiftly and is prepared to take
\non the punishing work pace he has inflicted on himself,\"
\npolitical analyst Amando Doronila wrote in a regular newspaper
\ncolumn.<\/p>\n
\"The issue of succession should be considered more seriously
\nthan in the past and the president (should) take doctors' advice
\nto slow down seriously,\" he added.<\/p>\n
The Philippine Star newspaper questioned the president's early
\nreturn to his punishing work schedule.<\/p>\n
\"That was a haggard-looking president on Monday,\" the
\nnewspaper said in an editorial. \"He still looks like a man who
\nneeds rest.\"<\/p>\n
But Ramos looked fully recovered at his weekly press
\nconference on Wednesday and dismissed suggestions he slow down.<\/p>\n
Analysts also said the health issue was dwarfed by the ongoing
\ndebate over whether the country's constitution should be amended
\nto allow Ramos to stand for office again when his current term
\nexpires in 1998.<\/p>\n
Philippine laws restrict the president to a single six-year
\nterm but a citizens group has campaigned for an amendment, saying
\nthat economic reforms brought in by Ramos would be affected if he
\nleft office.<\/p>\n
Ramos has said he does not wish to stay in office, but All
\nAsia's Johnson said the possibility was sustaining the stock
\nmarket.<\/p>\n
\"It's dangerous because it is unlikely to happen and I think
\nthe market is going to be disappointed,\" he said.<\/p>",
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