VERA Files
Facebook (FB) pages uploaded clips of a medical television program that have been doctored to endorse a capsule that supposedly boosts immunity and fights cancer.
The product, Cancr guard, is not a registered drug with the Food and Drug Administration.
Circulated as early as May 6, the fake ads bore videos from three episodes of Salamat Dok, a magazine health program on ABS-CBN that aired its final episode in 2020. Audio clips of narrators reading revised scripts were added to make it appear the show was promoting the capsule.
Lung cancer episode
Salamat Dok’s Jan. 13, 2019 episode featured a seaman diagnosed with Stage 3 lung cancer who underwent cryosurgery in China in 2018. His x-ray results in 2019 revealed that the lump in his lung decreased in size. His doctor then prescribed a “chemotherapy tablet” — the name of which was not revealed — to prevent the cancer from spreading again.
In the fake ad, a female narrator claimed that the “Cancr guard soft gel from the United States” that was “recommended by his doctor” made it happen. The narrator also falsely claimed that his CT scan confirmed that the lump in his lung disappeared, which the original video did not include.
Breast cancer episode
Another post used clips from Salamat Dok’s Oct. 20, 2019 episode featuring a 56-year-old woman diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018. The patient said that after three months of following an all-natural diet including a green drink recommended by a naturopathic expert, the lump in her right breast disappeared and the tumor in her left breast became benign.
A female narrator again read a revised script that falsely claimed Cancr guard was “part of the protocol recommended by (the woman’s) doctor” to “treat and prevent the spread of breast cancer.”
Fallopian tube cancer episode
The fake ads also used Salamat Dok clips from a May 5, 2019 episode where oncologists Michael Alan Hernandez and Mu Feng discussed cancer in the female reproductive system.
A promotional video for Cancr guard was added at the end of the original clips which further claimed that the product is FDA-approved, making it “safe to drink” and proving it “has no side effects.”
The FB posts led netizens to the product website CANCRGUARD.STORE where they are promised discounts and asked to provide their personal information to avail of the product.
The website bore a photo of Dr. Willie Ong, who only promotes a milk product for seniors and has warned the public against fake ads using his name.
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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.)
