Malacañang will comply with the directive of the Supreme Court of the Philippines requiring President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Executive Secretary Ralph Recto to comment on a petition seeking disclosure of the President’s medical examination report.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the Palace will submit its response within the period set by the High Court, affirming that the directive will be followed.
“Kung utos po ng Supreme Court iyan ay gagampanan po, gagawa po ng comment (If the Supreme Court orders that, it will be complied with, a comment will be made),” Castro said in a press briefing.
The Supreme Court en banc directed Marcos and Recto to file their comment within a non-extendible period of 10 days from receipt of notice.
The tribunal, however, has yet to give due course to the petition and has not ruled on its merits.
Former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, along with Virgilio Garcia, Juan Raña and Raymundo Junia, filed the petition for mandamus dated April 15.
The group asked the High Court to compel the President to undergo physical and mental examinations and to disclose the results to the public.
The petition specifically sought a hair follicle drug test, citing what the petitioners described as longstanding but unsubstantiated allegations of drug use, as well as concerns over the President’s fitness for office.
The directive came days after Marcos publicly dismissed rumors about his health and took part in media-covered physical activities inside Malacañang, including jogging and jumping jacks.
Malacañang has maintained that no legal basis exists to compel the President to disclose medical records without proof of serious illness, citing existing Supreme Court jurisprudence on the matter.
The Palace is expected to outline its legal position in its formal comment as the case proceeds through initial review stages before the High Court.
Image courtesy of Presidential Communications Office
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