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

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has revealed his struggle with an abdominal ailment all while grappling with a string of political woes that would churn even the strongest of stomachs – impeachment complaints, plunging ratings and simmering public anger over corruption.Yet he has assured Filipinos there is nothing to worry about on the health front.But on Wednesday, almost a week after his disclosure, the president missed an event at the palace: an awards ceremony for outstanding civil servants. Executive secretary Ralph Recto, who stood in for Marcos, said his boss was “catching up with paperwork”.Marcos last appeared on January 22 in a one-minute video clip released by the palace, in which he said: “I now have diverticulitis. It’s a common complaint.” The condition is the result of small pouches developing in the wall of one’s large intestine that become inflamed.The video sought to allay rumours swirling that morning, when local media reported that the president had spent the night in hospital under “medical observation” for discomfort. The news and rumours that Marcos had undergone surgery spawned reactions from political opponents, who cited his declining health in their calls for him to step down.Philippine legislators hold documents of an impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on January 22. Photo: EPAA medical doctor with decades of experience told This Week in Asia that while diverticulitis was a common gastrointestinal condition, “but in a head of state, it takes on added significance”.