FACT CHECK: No reports of Marcos rushed to hospital due to medical emergency

Claim: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was rushed to the hospital due to a medical emergency.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: A YouTube video alleging that Marcos was taken to the hospital was posted on December 5 by the channel “BOSES NG MASA,” which has 119,000 subscribers.

The thumbnail shows Marcos wearing a hospital gown with tubes connected to his nose, alongside a photo of Vice President Sara Duterte holding a microphone. Text overlaid on it reads: “Breaking news! PBBM, itinakbo sa ospital?! Palasyo, hinalughog at may nakalap na droga?”

(Breaking news! Was [President Bongbong Marcos] rushed to the hospital?! Palace raided and drugs found?)

In the video, a narrator describes the alleged medical emergency, but later subtly contradicts this by saying that many people have their own “versions” of what supposedly happened. The narrator then claims Malacañang issued a statement to clarify the situation and goes on to speculate about Duterte taking over the presidency.

At one point in the video, text appears on screen that reads, “PBBM itinakbo sa hospital matapos ma overdose sa iligal na droga! Malacañang nagkagulo!”

(President Bongbong Marcos rushed to the hospital after overdosing on illegal drugs! Malacañang is in turmoil.)

The video has gained 3,419 views, 89 likes, and 29 comments as of writing. 

The facts: Malacañang has issued no statement regarding Marcos’ supposed hospitalization. There are no credible reports confirming the alleged incident.

Recent updates from the Presidential Communications Office show Marcos remaining active in his duties as president. At the time the video was posted, Marcos released a video message providing updates about the flood control scandal investigation.

He also recently signed an executive order updating the base pay schedule and increasing the subsistence allowance for military and uniformed personnel, and released a message for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8.

The video provides no evidence of any supposed raid inside Malacañang that allegedly uncovered illegal drugs. None of these claims has been supported by authorities or reported by any reputable news sources. 

Alleged drug use: Rumors about Marcos’ supposed drug use have resurfaced following public remarks made by his sister, Senator Imee Marcos, who called out her brother and the First Family for allegedly using illegal drugs.

Her statements, made during the two-day Iglesia ni Cristo peace rally, aired amid allegations by former Ako Bicol representative Zaldy Co, naming Marcos as among the alleged masterminds behind the insertion of P100 billion worth of projects in the 2025 budget. Malacañang has denied these accusations. (READ: Zaldy Co: How P57-B kickback money was delivered to Marcos, Romualdez). 

Marcos has previously been accused of illegal drug use. Former president Rodrigo Duterte had repeatedly called him a “drug addict” and claimed Marcos was included in the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)’s list of drug personalities. For its part, PDEA said that Marcos has never appeared in its National Drug Information System or in any government narco list. 

Sensationalized: The video’s title and thumbnail are designed to mislead viewers with clickbait. 

Rappler has previously debunked similar sensationalized claims about Marcos, including his supposed resignation and the Vice President allegedly replacing him as president.  

Other viral content attempting to link the President to drug use has not been authenticated. The widely circulated “polvoron video” was flagged by analysts as manipulated, and a potential “faceswap” may have been done in the video. – Cyril Bocar/Rappler.com

Efren Cyril Bocar is a journalist from Llorente, Eastern Samar who graduated with a degree in English Language Studies at the Visayas State University. Cyril is also a graduate of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship of Rappler for 2024. 

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