Ombudsman Remulla says hospitalization rumors ‘fake news’

MANILA, Philippines – Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla on Friday broke his silence about his supposed hospitalization, denying that he was “rushed” to get medical care.

“Fake news,” Remulla told the Inquirer in a brief response when sought for confirmation about his supposed hospitalization.

The Office of the Ombudsman itself denied the rumors earlier in the day, with Assistant Ombudsman Mico Clavano also describing it as “fake news.”

“He had a hearty sinigang [a dish with sour soup] this morning for breakfast,” Clavano said in debunking his chief’s hospitalization.

Earlier, Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla also said that his elder brother played golf on Friday morning and was scheduled to have breakfast with him on Saturday.

READ: Ombudsman Remulla not hospitalized but ‘playing golf’–brother

The rumors circulated across social media claiming that Remulla, who is at the forefront of the government’s quest to go after individuals tagged in the massive corruption scandal surrounding infrastructure projects, was “rushed” to the hospital.

All these were posted on Facebook pages, some of which were found to be supportive of the Duterte family, particularly former President Rodrigo Duterte.

One post, which was made by a particular “video creator” account called “Music Opm Song’s,” made three posts claiming about Remulla’s health condition. The first post, made nine hours ago as of 7:30 p.m. on Friday, already had nearly 60,000 reactions and around 1,700 shares on Facebook. /atm