The Philippine president is dismissed from hospital and says he's fine after an abdominal ailment

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MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was taken to a hospital for an abdominal ailment that he ascribed to stress and age, but insisted he's fine in a video released on Thursday, laughing off rumors of his demise.

The 68-year-old leader was observed by his doctors and was released back home, attending two private meetings Thursday, according to Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro.

“I’m fine,” a smiling Marcos in a white long-sleeve office shirt said in a video released by Castro. “I’m feeling very, very different from the way I was feeling before, but the problem has been fixed.”

Marcos added that he has diverticulitis, a "common complaint amongst, apparently people who are heavily stressed and people who are, I have to admit, growing old.” The condition involves inflammation of small pouches in the digestive tract, usually in the colon, that causes pain, fever, nausea or constipation.

Asked by Castro what was his message to opponents wishing he would lose the presidency, Marcos responded with a laugh: “Don’t get too excited yet because it’s not a life-threatening condition.”

“Don’t worry. The rumors of my death are highly exaggerated,” he added.

Since taking office in mid-2022, Marcos has grappled with multiple complex problems and political dilemmas.

Those include an increasingly hostile territorial dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea, devastating earthquakes, typhoons and floodings, economic difficulties, tumultuous relations with his vice president and a corruption scandal i nvolving powerful legislators that has sparked public outrage.