The Philippine presidential office has not confirmed months-long speculations that President Ferdinand Marcos had been diagnosed with a serious illness, contrary to false claims in a fabricated graphic circulating on social media containing logos of various news outlets. Reviews of their official websites show they did not publish reports on the purported announcement, while the fake image differs from the template they use.
"Malacanang's new scheme to avoid talk about the staggering prices of fuel and food because they can no longer control businessmen from hiking the price of goods," reads part of the Tagalog-language post shared on Facebook on April 8, 2026, referring to the Philippine presidential office.
"Breaking news: President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer," reads the attached graphic bearing the logos of Philippine news outlets GMA News, ABS-CBN News and News5.
"Malacanang confirms the President is undergoing treatment and is in the care of a team of medical specialists," it goes on to say.
The graphic was widely shared across Facebook -- racking up more than 30,000 shares -- and fanned speculation about the state of Marcos's health, which started in January after he was hospitalised for an inflammation of the colon (archived link).
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