FACT CHECK: No Filipino student has been awarded for discovering a cure for diabetes

Claim: An article claiming to be from CNN Philippines said that a young Filipino student “Jay Mark” received the highest medical award for discovering a treatment for diabetes.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The false claim has been circulating online and posted by Facebook user Daryna Hryshina. The post has already gotten 596 reactions, 31 comments, and 48 shares as of writing.

The facts: According to the supposed article from CNN Philippines, a young scientist from the Philippines has discovered a treatment for diabetes, and specialists from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Santo Tomas were involved in developing the treatment.

However, no such actual discovery was made by any Filipino student nor member of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty of Medicine. Nor is there any existing treatment that completely cures diabetes.

The article also claimed that Dra. Minguita Padilla, a medical doctor in the Philippines, who is a well-known and highly qualified endocrinologist, was involved as project coordinator for the government. In December 2022, however, Padilla refuted these claims, saying she is an opthalmologist not associated with such project.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease characterized by elevated blood glucose levels or blood sugar, leading over time to severe damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves.

There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes is hereditary, while type 2 diabetes is lifestyle-related. Currently, there is no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes and WHO recommends keeping a healthy lifestyle, including regular exercise and a proper diet. – Jezreel Ines/Rappler.com