FACT CHECK: Photo of Marcos in hospital bed is AI-generated

Claim: Photos on social media show President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. lying in a hospital bed with a ventilator.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: Posted by the Facebook account named Brendo Cabahug on January 28, the claim has garnered more than 4,600 reactions, 4,900 comments, and 403 shares as of writing.
In the image accompanying the post, Marcos is shown lying in a hospital bed and connected to a ventilator. Text overlaid on the photo reads, “Patuloy na nagpapagaling si Pres. Bongbong Marcos sa kanyang sakit na diverticulitis.”

(President Bongbong Marcos continues to recover from diverticulitis.)

The post’s caption also claims that Malacañang issued the health update.

The facts: While Marcos did spend a night at the hospital on January 21, he has already been discharged, and the photo does not show his current health condition, contrary to the claim.

According to AI detection tools Sensity and Sightengine, the image of Marcos on a ventilator is likely to be AI-generated, with probability scores of 99% and 98%, respectively.

The image circulated following reports that the President stayed at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City for “medical observation as a precautionary measure” after experiencing discomfort. The Palace later said Marcos was diagnosed with diverticulitis, which Mayo Clinic defines as an “inflammation of the irregular bulging pouches in the wall of the large intestine.”

‘No cause for concern’: On January 28, the Presidential Communications Office’s (PCO) official Facebook account posted a video of the President, adding that he is “doing well in his recovery.”

In a subsequent post, the PCO also branded as fake alleged medical documents circulating online purporting to be of Marcos’, including one that claimed Marcos’ condition would require surgery. St. Luke’s Medical Center also released a public advisory on the “fake and falsified” documents, adding that the hospital “strictly upholds patient confidentiality and data privacy.”

Malacañang has said Marcos is “okay and back at work in the Palace,” adding that there was no need to issue a medical bulletin on the President’s health.

Debunked: This is not the first time that false claims about the President’s health have circulated online. Rappler has debunked these similar claims:

• FACT CHECK: No reports of Marcos rushed to hospital due to medical emergency
• FACT CHECK: No reports of Marcos suffering a heart attack

– Princess Leah Sagaad/Rappler.com

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