Rumors questioning the health of Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla were publicly rejected on Friday, with the official himself disputing reports that he had been taken to a hospital for urgent care.
Asked to confirm the claims, Remulla gave a brief response to the Inquirer, calling the reports “Fake news.”
Earlier in the day, the Office of the Ombudsman had already addressed the circulating posts, saying there was no truth to the claims. Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano echoed the denial and added that Remulla had been well enough to have breakfast that morning. “He had a hearty sinigang [a dish with sour soup] this morning for breakfast,” Clavano said.
Additional context was provided by Jonvic Remulla, who said his elder brother played golf earlier on Friday and had plans to meet him for breakfast the following day.
The false reports spread widely on social media, alleging that the Ombudsman—who has been leading efforts to pursue individuals linked to a large-scale corruption controversy involving infrastructure projects—had been “rushed” to a medical facility.
Several of the posts appeared on Facebook pages identified as supportive of the Duterte family, including former President Rodrigo Duterte. One account using the name “Music Opm Song’s,” described as a “video creator,” published multiple posts about Remulla’s supposed condition. As of 7:30 p.m. on Friday, the earliest of those posts had drawn nearly 60,000 reactions and about 1,700 shares on Facebook.
