FACT CHECK: No reports of Marcos suffering a heart attack
Claim: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently suffered a heart attack.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: As of writing, the video bearing the claim has 38,232 views, 1,800 likes, and 327 comments. It was posted on January 3 by the YouTube channel “BOSES NG MASA,” which has 78,900 subscribers.
The video’s thumbnail and title claim that Marcos was rushed to the hospital due to a heart attack after details of his alleged corrupt activities were exposed. The video refers to Marcos as “Kuting,” which translates to kitten — an alias that pro-Duterte vlogger “Maharlika” has been using to refer to Marcos in several of her YouTube videos since 2023.
The video begins with a soundbite claiming that the President suffered a heart attack, but does not state when this supposedly happened. It then transitions to a female narrator discussing a raid in Ayala Alabang, which she claims was covered up by Marcos and the First Lady. The discussion later shifts to the alleged mismanagement of PhilHealth funds.
The facts: There are no official reports from Malacañang or the Presidential Communications Office concerning Marcos’ health or his supposed hospitalization.
The video provides no details about the alleged incident or any credible evidence to support its claim. Instead, it merely featured repurposed content from the December 2024 livestream of another pro-Duterte content creator, “Boldyak TV,” discussing the escape of a so-called “Polvoron Lord” from an alleged raid.
Marcos’ health: This is not the first time that the President has been targeted by health hoaxes. In September 2024, Vera Files debunked false claims that Marcos was hospitalized and hidden in a safe house. Marcos himself denied the claim.
In 2021, Rappler debunked a similar false claim that then-presidential candidate Marcos suffered a heart attack.
Marcos and Duterte: The video uses its clickbait title and headline to draw in viewers and then shifts focus to attack the President, criticizing his decisions regarding PhilHealth funding and linking the Catholic Church to impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte.
Rappler has previously debunked false claims from various content creators criticizing either Marcos or Duterte amid the rift between the former UniTeam allies. – Aya Ranas/Rappler.com
Aya Ranas is a 2nd year Communication student and a scholar at National University Clark, Pampanga. An editor-in-chief and founder of the Nationalian Clarion, she is also an Aries Rufo Journalism Fellow of Rappler for 2024.
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