A Facebook page posted an advertisement featuring a video of cardiologist and online health personality Willie Ong supposedly endorsing the eye supplement Lutein Gummies. This is fake.
Published on July 8, the video features two unrelated clips of Ong spliced together. The first video shows him offering a discount to the first 99 customers who will purchase the product, which is said to cure eye problems. In the clip, he is heard saying:
“Maraming nagpapanggap na ako si Doc Willie Ong para magbenta ng peke at hindi ligtas na produkto na maaaring makasama sa inyong kalusugan
Ako si Doc Willie Ong ay personal na nagbibigay ng garantiya. Kung walang epekto sa loob ng pitong araw, ibabalik namin ng doble and bayad mo.”
There are no statements from Ong’s official social media accounts about his endorsement of the eye product. After being diagnosed with cancer last year, the cardiologist said he was not endorsing anything. His posts mostly discuss medical conditions and how to manage them.
VERA Files ran the video ad through the artificial intelligence detection tool Hive moderation.
Results revealed that the audio of the first clip is 99% likely AI-generated. The video also received an aggregate rating of 99.6%, which means that it is “likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content.”
Telltale signs of manipulation are also present, such as the unnatural appearance of only four fingers and the odd pronunciation of certain words.
The second clip received the same aggregate score of 99.6%, with its audio also found to be 99% likely AI-generated.
A reverse image search using Google shows that the original videos came from short-form clips uploaded in the YouTube channel of Ong in 2024, where he talked about signs of thyroid problems and diabetes.
Unofficial pages have used AI-edited clips of well-known personalities to promote health products. VERAFiles previously debunked a claim that uses a similar tactic endorsing the same product (READ: Impostor page uses AI-EDITED video of Charo Santos to promote eye supplement)
As of writing, the fake ad posted by the Facebook page Lutein-Essential Eye Nutrition (created May 15, 2025) has garnered 148,000 views, 705 reactions, and 342 comments.
