MANILA, Philippines (AP) — An annoyed Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did a few rounds of jumping jack exercise and jogged briefly outside his office in front of journalists Monday to disprove rumors of his failing health.

Wearing formal office wear, reading glasses and leather shoes, the 68-year-old leader said he did the impromptu workout to ease any worry about his health at a time when people were already beset with problems sparked by the war in the Middle East.

WATCH: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. walks, jogs across Malacañang complex to prove that he is still fit, debunking reports re: his illness:

“I dont want people to think there is a problem because sa dami ng problema nating hinaharap… that will be an additional concern for our… pic.twitter.com/ouJQoQvZTN

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) April 13, 2026

PH PRESIDENT DOES JUMPING JACKS, CHALLENGES ALLEGATIONS VS DETERIORATING HEALTH Pres

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appears before the Malacañang Press Corps to belie allegations he is gravely ill. | via @_katrinadomingo pic.twitter.com/wWoOoPeypp

— ABS-CBN News (@ABSCBNNews) April 13, 2026

“I challenge anyone who are saying that I am sick, that they come and exercise with me,” Marcos told reporters. “You come to the gym with me. Let’s see who can lift the weights better.”

“Those people who tell you that I’m sick, that I’m paralyzed, they’re all liars,” Marcos said.

Rumors about the president’s deteriorating health and even death have swirled on social media after he briefly vanished from public view in January then later acknowledged in a video message that he was taken to a hospital for an abdominal ailment that he ascribed to stress and age.

Marcos then laughed off rumors of his demise and said he had been diagnosed with diverticulitis. The condition involves inflammation of small pouches in the digestive tract, usually in the colon, that causes pain, fever, nausea or constipation.

His last hospital checkup a couple of months ago showed he had been cured of that ailment, Marcos said, and added that he was back on normal diet and was regularly exercising.

When asked if he was taking any maintenance medicine, Marcos said he was taking medication for gout and for high blood pressure.

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 flooding, economic difficulties, tumultuous relations with his vice president and a corruption scandal involving powerful legislators and allies that has sparked public outrage.