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This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
AI detection tool Resemble.AI flagged as fake the audio used in the ad, which also features a mix of manipulated and genuine media content
Claim: TV personality Kris Aquino is endorsing FitGum Organic Barley, a powdered drink mix, after it cured her cancer.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook video with the claim has garnered 23,000 views, 1,000 reactions, and 54 shares. The page that posted it, “FitGum Official Store,” has 7,400 followers.
In the video, Aquino is heard saying, “I am now completely cured [of sarcoma cancer] after three months of drinking FitGum organic barley recommended to me by Dr. Willy Ong (sic).”
This was accompanied by pictures and video clips of Aquino and other alleged endorsers of the product, who are also listed in the caption. Viewers are then urged to buy the product from the link posted in the video’s comments.
The facts: AI detection tool Resemble.AI flagged the video’s audio as fake. Several manipulated and genuine media clips were taken out of context and stitched together to play onscreen to accompany the fake narration.
Aquino’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts show no such endorsements for the product. She was never diagnosed with cancer either, although she did have a colon cancer scare last year.
While Aquino is cancer-free, the TV star has been battling multiple autoimmune diseases since 2018, including autoimmune thyroiditis, chronic spontaneous urticaria, Churg-Strauss syndrome, systemic sclerosis, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis.
FitGum Organic Barley: While FitGum Organic Barley with glutathione and collagen food supplement powder is registered with the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it is registered as a “food supplement with no approved therapeutic claims.” As such, there is insufficient evidence that the product can cure cancer as claimed in the video.
“Food [or] dietary supplement[s] could be taken to support the nutritional needs of the body, however it has not been given approval for any therapeutic effects which could only be granted to drugs as proven by clinical studies,” the FDA warned in a 2012 advisory.
According to the FDA’s FAQ page, claims not approved by the agency are prohibited in promotional materials.
Previous fact-checks: Rappler has debunked other fake celebrity endorsements for barley products:
– Shay Du/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. You may also report dubious claims to the #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
