FACT CHECK: Circulating Marcos ‘medical report’ is fake

Claim: A photo circulating online shows the medical test results of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The photo of the alleged medical document contains the letterhead of St. Luke’s Medical Center along with Marcos’ biographical information. It claims to show the President’s test results and a diagnosis of “severe sigmoid diverticulitis.”

The photo can be found circulating in several social media posts on January 28 and is falsely regarded as genuine, as can be seen in the following posts:

• A post in the Facebook account of user Annaliza Villarin Gregorio Segura, with around 2,600 reactions, 2,900 comments, and 463 shares as of writing;
• A post in the Facebook group “PROTECT VICE PRESIDENT SARA DUTERTE,” with 172 reactions, 141 comments, and 97 shares as of writing; 
• A post in the Facebook page “Taga Ormoc Daily,” with 57 reactions, 19 comments, and 5 shares as of writing;
• A post in the X account named “Dalagang Pilipina” with handle @fierceLady08, with around 304,100 views, 111 replies, 109 reposts, 1,000 likes, and 280 bookmarks as of writing. 

Additionally, a Google Images search for the photo yields several other social media posts, many of which are now inaccessible as of writing. One such post was from the Facebook account of former broadcaster Jay Sonza.

The facts: St. Luke’s Medical Center released a statement on January 28 calling the photo containing Marcos’ alleged test results “fake and fabricated.”

The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) also said on January 28 that the circulating test results are “fake, is not the result of any legitimate medical examination, and does not reflect the President’s health.” 

The PCO post included screenshots of the inaccessible Facebook posts containing the fake document, including posts by Sonza and another Facebook user named Maricar Serrano (whose post was shared by columnist Bobi Tiglao).

Several news outlets have reported on the St. Luke’s public advisory, such as Rappler, Inquirer.net, Philstar.com, Manila Bulletin,  GMA Network, and ABS-CBN News.  

Marcos’ medical condition: The fake document circulated after PCO undersecretary Claire Castro said that Marcos spent a night at St. Luke’s on January 21 for “medical observation as a precautionary measure” after experiencing discomfort.

Marcos later said that he has diverticulitis, which is the inflammation of pouches called “diverticula” in the large intestine’s lining.

Malacañang, however, has stressed that the President is “okay and back at work in the Palace” and is fully capable of discharging his official duties.

According to an Inquirer report, the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group is looking into the people responsible for circulating the falsified document.

Previous related fact-checks: Rappler has fact-checked numerous health-related claims, including claims on alleged health products and scams that use artificial intelligence tools to falsely portray some personalities as endorsing particular health products. – Percival Bueser/Rappler.com

Percival Bueser is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.

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