Contrary to the AI-manipulated video spreading online, the UST Medicine dean did not endorse an unapproved treatment for diabetes. The original video is a gospel reflection.
CLAIM: UST Medicine dean has endorsed a recipe with three ingredients as an alternative to metformin for lowering blood sugar levels.
RATING: FALSE
A FAKE, AI-generated video where the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery dean, Assoc. Prof. Ma. Lourdes Maglinao, supposedly endorses an alternative diet treatment for lowering blood sugar levels, has been circulating on Facebook since Aug. 6
The deepfake, posted by a page called “Grey Shark,” has drawn over 42,000 views and 230 likes as of posting.
It altered Maglinao’s likeness and voice to falsely claim that she holds the key to a treatment more effective than metformin, a widely prescribed medication for managing blood sugar levels.
The original footage was taken from Maglinao’s gospel reflection, which was uploaded by UST’s official Facebook page on Sept. 2, 2023 via the “Breaktime: Gospel Reflections” segment.
At no point in the original 10-minute video did Maglinao mention treatments for lowering blood sugar levels nor discourage the use of prescribed medications.
Metformin, an antidiabetic medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1994 for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, is still the only antidiabetic drug recommended by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for managing prediabetes.
The manipulated video does not reveal the supposed ingredients of the treatment recipe unless the viewer clicks on a suspicious link, which might indicate a phishing scam.
Closer inspection also revealed that the synchronization between Maglinao’s lips and the spoken words were noticeably off, further indicating the use of deepfake technology.
This incident is part of a broader pattern where medical professionals, public figures, and celebrities are exploited in doctored videos to promote products.
In April, the Department of Health (DOH) warned the public about the rise of AI-generated videos after a clip of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa was used to falsely claim that the DOH had donated a substantial sum to a project seeking a cure for prostatitis.
Maglinao herself has denied making the recipe endorsement and called on the public to help her mass report the deepfake video.
