Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. used a live press conference on 13 April to directly rebuff social media rumours claiming he was seriously ill or had died, challenging doubters to join him in the gym. "I challenge anyone who are saying that I am sick, that they come and exercise with me — we will see who is stronger," he told reporters, performing jumping jacks to underline his point. The 68-year-old president, who was briefly hospitalised in January 2026 for diverticulitis, said he exercises three to four times a week and declared himself in "very, very good health"; health rumours dogging sitting presidents have a long history in the Philippines, most notably surrounding his father, the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr., whose serious illness was concealed until his ouster in the 1986 People Power Revolution.