Yet he has assured Filipinos there is nothing to worry about on the health front. But on Wednesday, almost a week after his disclosure, the president missed an event at the palace: an awards ceremony for outstanding civil servants. Executive secretary Ralph Recto, who stood in for Marcos, said his boss was “catching up with paperwork”. The news and rumours that Marcos had undergone surgery spawned reactions from political opponents, who cited his declining health in their calls for him to step down. Philippine legislators hold documents of an impeachment complaint against President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr on January 22.