At least two Facebook (FB) posts are spreading an alleged testimonial of a priest vouching for the “effectiveness” of a milk supplement against diabetes. This is fake.
It carried a long endorsement supposedly made by Fr. Jerry Orbos of the Diocesan Shrine of Jesus the Divine Word in Quezon City. The bogus FB posts, which emerged on Jan. 5, continued to spread this week.
Fr. Orbos was made to look like he said the below statement — in broken Tagalog — about the effectivity of the product called Glufarelin:
“Pagbabahagi ng sarili kong kwento isang napakasimpleng paraan para magkaroon ng stable na blood sugar level… Nagpasya akong sumailalim sa paggamot ng halos 3 buwan, ang aking asukal sa dugo ay unti-unting nag-stabilize sa 6.0, ang aking mga paa’t kamay ay naging komportable, ako ay kumain ng maayos, at ako ay nakakuha ng higit sa 7kg.
(Sharing my story on the simplest way to have a stable blood sugar level… I decided to undergo treatment for three months, my blood sugar gradually stabilized at 6.0, my hands and feet felt more comfortable, I am eating well and I gained 7 kg in weight.)”
The testimonial is made-up. VERA Files Fact Check has repeatedly disproved the legitimacy of Glufarelin and its ads. The priest himself has also disowned the circulating testimonial.
In his Jan. 14 Inquirer.net column article, Fr. Orbos wrote:
“Someone used my picture and posted a written endorsement for a health product called ‘Glufarelin’ for diabetics. Not true po. I endorse only the Lord. That’s all.”
Red flags in the ‘Fr Orbos’ and Glufarelin scam
The publisher of the scam — an FB page using the name of Fr. Orbos — used several tactics to trick unsuspecting netizens.
Its profile picture was edited to bear a blue check to make it look like the account is a verified Page.
More, to “legitimize” the product endorsement, the fake FB posts carried images of Orbos during a mass to imply that he made the endorsement while delivering a homily.
The photos were actually video thumbnails taken from Orbos’ 2021 and 2023 homily videos published on his YouTube channel. The priest did not mention Glufarelin, nor did he make a testimonial vouching for such a product.
At the end of the text posts is a URL that leads to a website that uses the name of the Department of Health where people can order Glufarelin. To quell any doubts of potential customers, the website claims Glufarelin is “risk-free” and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In an August 2023 advisory, the FDA warned the public from buying and using Glufarelin, stating that the agency cannot guarantee the product’s quality and safety and consuming it may lead to health risks.
VERA Files Fact Check has debunked this unregistered health product several times before, which is notorious for its misleading and fraudulent marketing.
(Read Glufarelin does NOT treat diabetes and Milk supplement for diabetes unregistered, NOT endorsed by PGH)
Orbos’ alleged testimonial emerged ahead of the annual procession for the Feast of the Black Nazarene that occurred in Manila last week.
The impostor FB page Fr Jerry Orbos (created on Dec. 20, 2023) created the two posts, garnering a total of 16,300 reactions, 900 comments and 500 shares.
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(Editor’s Note: VERA Files has partnered with Facebook to fight the spread of disinformation. Find out more about this partnership and our methodology.)
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