The Supreme Court has formally required President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to respond to a legal challenge questioning his fitness for office, ordering him to file a comment within 10 days on a petition that calls for mandatory physical and mental examinations, including a hair follicle drug test.
Executive Secretary Ralph Recto was named alongside Marcos as a co-respondent and faces the same 10-day deadline to submit a reply.
The petition was lodged on April 10 by a group of retired military personnel operating under the name United People’s Initiative, whose members include former Air Force General Romeo Poquiz. The filing invokes Section 12, Article 7 of the 1987 Constitution, which requires public disclosure of the President’s health in cases of serious illness. The group argued that transparency on this matter is a constitutional obligation — not a discretionary act — and that lingering uncertainty about Marcos’ condition undermines public trust and governance during a period of regional instability.
Among the evidence cited in the 12-page petition were alleged eyewitness accounts placing Marcos at St. Luke’s Medical Center, and a statement by Senator Imee Marcos — his own sister — that he had fallen ill because no one in Malacañang was looking after him. The Palace has denied that claim.
The UPI also asked the court to order the Executive branch to issue regular and accurate medical bulletins whenever a condition arises that could affect the President’s capacity to govern.
Marcos made his first direct public response to the health rumors days after the petition was filed. He appeared before reporters at Malacañang, performed jumping jacks, and ran within the Palace compound, calling speculation about his condition “pure shenanigans.” He disclosed that his current medications include Allopurinol for gout and a separate drug for hypertension, and said his most recent hospital visit was for a diverticulitis episode in January.
Malacañang, citing an existing Supreme Court ruling, has maintained that no legal basis exists to compel the President to release medical records absent substantiated claims of serious illness.
The court has not yet scheduled a hearing on the petition, and no ruling on its merits has been issued.
