FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong ad for heart ailment cure is AI-manipulated

Claim: Cardiologist and online health personality Dr. Willie Ong, also known as Doc Willie, endorses the product VascuHealth, which claims to treat multiple heart conditions, like palpitation, irregular heartbeat, heart enlargement, and clogged arteries.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post bearing the claim, uploaded on March 15, 2024, has over 89,000 views, 1,700 reactions, and 1,600 comments as of writing.

The facts: Ong does not endorse VascuHealth, and the video of Ong seemingly talking about the product is AI-manipulated. 

The VascuHealth ad used a clip from the 0:03 to 0:45 mark of the original video uploaded by Ong on his official account earlier, on February 23, 2024. He did not mention VascuHealth throughout the video.

The ad also manipulated the mouth movements and audio of the original video to make it seem like Ong endorsed the product. 

Sensity, a tool designed to detect AI manipulation, flagged the video as “suspicious” with a 99.9% confidence level.

“High confidence indicates that the detector has found definite signals of AI generation or manipulation. Minimum confidence for this detector is 50%,” Sensity noted. 

Founded in 2018, the Netherlands-based company specializes in detecting “deepfakes and other forms of malicious visual media.”

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Not FDA-registered: Despite showing a photo of an alleged Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certificate, VascuHealth is not in the Philippine FDA’s list of registered food and drug products. 

Previous false claims: Ong has repeatedly told Rappler in previous correspondence that he does not endorse various health products attributed to him. Rappler has fact-checked similar claims of products using Ong’s name, audio, and video in false advertisements:

• FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong’s hypertension video ad is AI-manipulated (May 13, 2024)
• FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong doesn’t endorse Ayurma Healing Oil (January 31, 2024)
• FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong doesn’t endorse Nasure Colostrum Milk (December 24, 2023)
• FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong doesn’t endorse Lung Gold Milk (December 18, 2023)
• FACT CHECK: Barley Grass Powder ad uses altered photo of Doc Willie Ong (September 29, 2023)
• FACT CHECK: Fake ads for hair growth product use Doc Willie Ong’s videos (August 11, 2023)
• FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong ad promoting whitening toothpaste is fake (July 25, 2023)
• FACT CHECK: Doc Willie Ong’s name, videos used in fake ads for Glufarelin (July 21, 2023)

– Lorenz Pasion/Rappler.com

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