What’s in the president’s stomach? Marcos health problems call to mind past leaders’ woes

South China Morning PostCenter-RightEN 1 min read 100% complete by Alan RoblesJanuary 29, 2026 at 03:00 AM

AI Summary

short article 1 min

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. recently disclosed that he is suffering from diverticulitis, a common gastrointestinal condition, amidst political challenges including impeachment complaints and declining approval ratings. The announcement followed rumors that he had been hospitalized, which the president addressed in a video to assure the public. Marcos missed an awards ceremony at the palace, with his absence attributed to catching up on paperwork. While diverticulitis is generally not considered a serious condition, a medical expert noted that it carries added significance given Marcos' position as head of state. His political opponents have cited his health in calls for him to step down.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

This Week in Asia 40% Ralph Recto 60% Philippines 80% Ferdinand Marcos Jnr ×490%

Keywords

president marcos 100% health problems 90% diverticulitis 80% political woes 70% impeachment complaint 60% corruption 50% public anger 50% philippine politics 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source

South China Morning Post

Political Lean

Center-Right (0.50)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Philippines

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

No topic relationship data available yet. This graph will appear once topic relationships have been computed.

president marcos health problems diverticulitis political woes impeachment complaint corruption public anger philippine politics

Explore Full Topic Graph