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| - SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
Claim: GMA News reported about cardiologist and online health personality Dr. Willie Ong’s discovery of a natural cure for hypertension that works in 24 hours. The report also says that high blood pressure is caused by a deficiency of “Magnesium-12” and can be permanently treated with a simple rice-and-water method.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post containing the claim was submitted to Rappler for fact checking. The post has 791,000 views, 453 comments, and 5,000 reactions as of writing, and was posted on a public Facebook page with 2,100 followers.
The video appears to show an emergency broadcast of State of the Nation, where journalist Jessica Soho is shown reporting Ong’s alleged discovery of a hypertension cure that takes effect within 24 hours. The report claims that Ong traveled to the Amazon and learned from the Tageri tribe about a method that uses rice and water to treat hypertension.
The facts: The video containing the claim is fake and is manipulated using artificial intelligence. The video falsely portrays Soho reporting an emergency news bulletin, but no such report appears in GMA News archives.
The video presents several dubious claims not backed by credible sources or scientific evidence. There is no record of Ong announcing his alleged discovery of a hypertension cure, nor a supposed excursion to the Amazon for this discovery.
The video also states that hypertension can be eliminated within 24 hours by using a rice-and-water method in 30 seconds. No medical studies support this claim. Hypertension management requires long-term lifestyle changes, medication, and regular monitoring.
Non-existent: The video refers to a “Tager” or “Tageri” tribe, which appears to be a misspelling of Tagaeri, an indigenous group from Ecuador. The Tagaeri are an uncontacted tribe and have no documented medical practices that match the claim in the video. There is no historical or scientific record of the Tagaeri developing or using a cure for hypertension.
Not a real microelement: The video claims that a deficiency of “Magnesium-12” is the root cause of hypertension. Magnesium-12 does not exist as a natural element. Magnesium (Mg) is an essential mineral for the body and plays a role in cardiovascular health. Contrary to the claim, high blood pressure is caused by a combination of factors including genetics, diet, lifestyle, and medical conditions.
Misrepresenting Losartan: The video also claims that Losartan only hides symptoms of hypertension, while the supposed rice-and-water method “eliminates” hypertension. Although the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released advisories warning the public of the importance of ensuring the authenticity and safety of medications, Losartan is an FDA-approved medication commonly prescribed to treat high blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels and improving blood flow.
Similar fact checks: Rappler has fact-checked similar claims of products using Ong’s name, audio, and video in false advertisements. Many of the misleading ads using AI to manipulate videos are taken from the doctor’s official social media channels. (READ: Philippines faces rising AI-driven disinformation)
FACT CHECK: Video of Tulfo, Ong about diabetes ‘cure’ is deepfake
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FACT CHECK: Hypertension ‘cure’ ad uses deepfake video of Filipino politician, doctor
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FACT CHECK: ‘News report’ promoting hair spray is AI-manipulated
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FACT CHECK: Video of news report on hypertension ‘cure’ is AI-manipulated
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Rappler has also fact-checked posts making questionable health claims:
FACT CHECK: News report advertising oral stem cell therapy is AI-manipulated
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FACT CHECK: Post on alleged Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine side effects is false
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FACT CHECK: Ad for joint pain ‘cure’ uses AI-edited video of Filipino doctor
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– Quincy Reyes/Rappler.com
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
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