Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro has denied speculations about the health of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., warning fake news peddlers to stop spreading misinformation.

Videos on social media that had gone viral seemingly showed Marcos’ gums bleeding as he was delivering his remarks during an “Araw ng Kagitingan” event last Wednesday.

“From my perspective, because we personally get to meet with him, our President is in good health, because if he is not he would probably not be able to fulfill his daily duties,” she said.

Castro said the video purportedly showing Marcos’s “bleeding gums” was circulated to try and convince people that he is not in good health.

Marcos flew to Mindanao to meet with government officials in Maguindanao and Sarangani.

“Please don’t make up stories about the President’s health. That’s not good for our country. We should pray for the good health of our leaders. And they should avoid making speculations. Even if they are not doctors, they pretend to be doctors on social media,” she said.

In the past week, Marcos attended several public engagements, most notably the commemoration of the Day of Valor on 9 April.

He also met with food-based entrepreneurs on Wednesday afternoon together with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and their son Vincent.

On Friday, Marcos flew to Mindanao to meet with government officials in Maguindanao and Sarangani.