Claim: Broadcast journalist Mel Tiangco reported about a cure for hypertension allegedly developed by physician and online content creator Dr. Alvin Francisco, known as Doc Alvin on social media.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post containing the claim has 9,100 views, 929 reactions, 58 comments, and 132 shares. It was posted on the Facebook page named “Mga Balita at Kaganapan sa Pilipinas” with 3,800 followers.
The video shows Tiangco and Francisco talking side-by-side during a news report in the noontime news broadcast, Balitanghali, about an effective cure for hypertension.
The facts: The video containing the claim is fake and is manipulated using artificial intelligence. A scan on the web-based deepfake detection tool TrueMedia.org flagged the video as bearing “substantial evidence of manipulation.”
TrueMedia.org said it detected face manipulation with 98% confidence. The audio of the video was found to be manipulated based on four analyses: AI-generated audio detector, voice anti-spoofing analysis, audio authenticity detector, and audio foundation model detector.
The detector also found semantic inconsistencies in the audio.
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“The transcript appears to be a scripted piece rather than a real spoken audio… The language is promotional and resembles an infomercial or scam, with repeated calls to action and urgency (“Pindutin ang button sa ibaba at panoorin ang video“). The mention of a “miracle” and the supposed suppression by pharmaceutical companies further suggest a fabricated narrative designed to entice or deceive rather than inform,” the analysis reads.
Fact-checked: Rappler has fact-checked similar videos posted by the same Facebook page that use AI manipulation to endorse supposed cures, health products, or miracle treatments:
- FACT CHECK: Ad for hypertension cure uses AI-edited Jessica Soho news report
- FACT CHECK: AI-edited clips of Karen Davila used in hypertension ‘cure’ ad
– Ailla Dela Cruz/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.