The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) belied reports that the former first lady Imelda Marcos, the mother of President Marcos, has passed.

"'Fake news' yung kumakalat na balitang wala na ang dating First Lady. Ty (News about the former first lady dying is fake. Thank you)!" the PCO said early Thursday, March 7.

According to the PCO, President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, upon their return to Manila, went straight to the hospital where the Marcos matriarch was to check on her.

Marcos arrived in Manila from Melbourne at 11:34 p.m. on Wednesday.

The 94-year-old former first lady was admitted to an undisclosed hospital this week due to slight pneumonia and fever.

On March 5, President Marcos, who was still in Melbourne for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Australia Special Summit back then, said he had spoken to his mother's doctors about her condition.

He thanked Filipinos for praying for his mother's condition.

“I just spoke with my mother’s doctors. She is suffering from slight pneumonia and is running a fever. She has been put on a course of antibiotics and the doctors are confident that this will relieve her fever,” Marcos said in a statement.

“She is in good spirits, has no difficulty in breathing, and is resting well. I thank the Filipino public for their concern and prayers," President Marcos added.

On Wednesday, Senator Imee Marcos said their mother was already feeling better but was still in the hospital.

She added that they were being careful about her condition because of her age.

Known worldwide for her shoe collection, Imelda Marcos is the wife of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos. During her husband's term, she served as the governor of Metro Manila from 1975 and as Human Settlements minister from 1978 until they were forced to leave the country in 1986.

She became a congressman representing Leyte's first district from 1995 to 1998 and then became Ilocos Norte's second district representative from 2010 to 2019.