Another version of De Castro’s video was shared in a Facebook post here and here with a link to the same article.
The post appears to be a repackaging of persistent disinformation about metformin and Ong, which AFP had already debunked in 2023.
Diabetic drugs
Health experts told AFP the paper contradicts decades of research on metformin.
Professor Iris Isip Tan of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine said, citing the medical journal Diabetologia, that the drug has been used to treat diabetes for more than 60 years and there are “no major safety issues” (archive link (here and here).
“Metformin is an effective drug for diabetes. It lowers blood sugar levels, so it helps prevent complications,” she told AFP on May 3, 2023.
John Paul Vagos, an endocrinologist at Novaliches General Hospital, also dismissed the false claims about metformin’s alleged side effects described in the article (archive link).
“Metformin does not cause kidney or liver damage, kidney stones, cancer, high blood pressure or blindness,” he told AFP on May 3, 2023. “Uncontrolled diabetes would be the actual cause of these symptoms mentioned, not the other way around.”
Willy Ong posted in Tagalog on his verified Facebook page (archive link) on April 21, 2023, calling the claim “fake news.”
“Here’s the truth: Metformin is fine. Trust your doctor,” Ong said.
In another Facebook video shared on the same day, he also said: I remembered In a previous post, he mentioned metformin as an effective treatment for diabetes (archive link).
manipulated video
ABS-CBN News Digital’s head of engagement and partnerships Arlene Burgos told AFP on February 7 that the videos used to spread false claims were “manipulated.”
“ABS-CBN news items were distorted to make it appear as if we were reporting on specific products.”he Said.
She went on to say that the station does not employ a journalist named “Eliana Villaromán.” Her name is in the byline of the article.
The voice used in Mr. de Castro’s footage is very similar to Anchorman’s, but if you look closely at the footage, you can see that his mouth does not move in sync with the words being spoken.
visual clues When de Castro’s video was combined with multiple keyword searches on Google, the original clip from which the manipulated video was based was found.
The first clip was taken from the September 4, 2023 episode of TV Patrol, ABS-CBN’s nightly news show (archived links here and here).
The video shows De Castro at the 57 minute 36 second mark, concluding a feature on the town of Pola, south of Manila, which was hit by an oil spill six months ago.
The tanker Princess Empress was carrying 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil when it sank in rough seas off central Mindoro in February 2023.
De Castro did not mention diabetes treatment in his report. There is also no photo of Mr Ong, as seen in the fake video.
Below is a comparison of screenshots from the manipulated footage (left) and the original TV Patrol episode (right).
De Castro’s video is second video Excerpted from an episode of TV Patrol that aired on November 27, 2023 (archive link).
At around 2:07, he can be heard introducing a report about a police officer who allegedly fired a gun during a scuffle at a bar in Manila.
Below is a comparison of screenshots from the manipulated footage (left) and the original TV Patrol episode (right).
Additionally, the website where the article about the product “Glucocalm” is posted is not the official website (archive link) that posts news reports of ABS-CBN.
A multiple keyword search on the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) verification portal did not find any products named “Glucocalm” in the list of registered foods and drugs (archive links here and here).
De Castro’s video is the latest in a series of false posts that AFP has debunked here and there, manipulating recordings of Filipino journalists to promote questionable products.
