PNP to probe ‘falsified,’ ‘fake’ Marcos test results
The Philippine National Police has launched an investigation to identify the people who released online the supposed results of an abdominal CT scan done on President Marcos, who has been diagnosed with diverticulitis.
The St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) in Quezon City, in a statement on Thursday, denied the accuracy and authenticity of the alleged medical test results. Mr. Marcos spent the night in the hospital on Jan. 21 after experiencing some discomfort.
“St. Luke’s Medical Center is aware of medical test results falsely circulating online and on social media claiming to pertain to President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr. These documents are fake and falsified,” it said.
Legal consequences
The hospital added that in observance of patient confidentiality and data privacy, medical test results are released only to patients themselves through SLMC’s authorized and official channels.
“Any medical results or documents obtained, posted, shared, or circulated outside these authorized channels are considered unauthorized, fraudulent or falsified. The posting or sharing of a patient’s medical information by anyone other than the patient constitutes a breach of data privacy and is a violation of hospital policy and applicable laws,” it said.
The SLMC urged the public to be more cautious and responsible in sharing unverified information, particularly medical results, saying it may lead to the spread of fake news and put them at risk of lawsuits.
The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) also called the document supposedly showing the results of the President’s whole abdomen CT scan fake.
The document, which bears the SLMC logo, along with the President’s personal information like his age and birthday, said that he suffers from “severe sigmoid diverticulitis with perforation and extensive mesenteric phlegmon, indicating clinical deterioration.” It recommended “urgent surgical consultation” for possible “Hartmann’s procedure or percutaneous drainage.”
In a statement, PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said that he had tasked the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group to help identify the people responsible for the fake medical test results.
“This is a really disrespectful, insensitive and gross violation of the law,” he said. “This must be looked into because it is clearly aimed at misleading the public. While we in the PNP fully respect the freedom of expression of every Filipino and every netizen, we are certain that this kind of action is not part of that freedom.”
Disrespectful, insensitive
Earlier in the day, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto told reporters at Camp Crame that Mr. Marcos will be resuming his normal activities after a weeklong rest following his brief hospitalization.
Recto had attended the PNP Day celebration at the national headquarters on the President’s behalf.
PCO acting Secretary Dave Gomez, in a Viber message to reporters on Wednesday, said that Mr. Marcos was making a steady recovery from diverticulitis—an inflammation of the diverticula, or small pockets, in the colon.
According to Gomez, while the President will continue to focus on “critical duties,” he may be represented at some engagements by Recto or other Cabinet members. Since his hospitalization, Mr. Marcos has limited himself to private meetings in Malacañang.
Palace press officer Claire Castro, also on Wednesday, ruled out the need for them to issue a medical bulletin on his condition.
“To our understanding, a medical bulletin is usually issued in cases of serious illness. If the President himself said that his condition is not life-threatening, why would a medical bulletin be necessary at this time, especially when we are already providing updates on the President’s health?” Castro told reporters.
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