Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is resting and catching up on paperwork after briefly stepping back from public engagements due to a medical condition, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said Wednesday, Jan. 28.

Recto said there is “nothing to worry about” regarding the president’s health after Marcos skipped the Gawad Lingkod Bayani awards ceremony, where Recto represented him.

“It’s only natural for his doctor to recommend that he rest for a week,” Recto said in a text message to Malacañang reporters, adding that Marcos is “catching up with paperwork.”

Recto said he had experienced a similar health condition last year.

Marcos, 68, said last week that he had been diagnosed with diverticulitis, an inflammatory condition of the digestive tract, but stressed that it is not life-threatening.

“I’m fine,” Marcos said in a video released by the Presidential Communications Office. “What happened was I now have diverticulitis. It’s a common complaint, especially among people who are heavily stressed and, I have to admit, growing old.”

Malacañang earlier said the president was taken to St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City on Jan. 21 for observation. Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro later said Marcos had returned to Malacañang and would continue attending meetings.

Under the 1987 Constitution, the president is required to disclose his health condition in cases of serious illness.

Marcos sought to allay public concern and dismissed speculation about his health, including calls for him to step down amid multiple impeachment complaints alleging corruption.

“Don’t get too excited,” he said. “It’s not a life-threatening condition. The rumors of my death are highly exaggerated.”