Philippine social media users face barrage of bogus medical posts
MANILA, Philippines, (AFP) – Philippine vlogger Rosanel Demasudlay holds a heart-shaped “virginity soap” bar in front of the camera and assures her hundreds of YouTube followers it can be safely used to “tighten” their vaginas.
The video is part of a barrage of bogus and harmful medical posts on social media platforms where Filipinos rank among the world’s heaviest users.
Even before COVID-19 confined people to their homes and left them fearful of seeing a doctor, many in the Philippines sought remedies online because they were cheaper and easier to access.
During the pandemic, AFP’s Fact Check team saw an explosion of misinformation about untested cosmetic products and quick-fix treatments for chronic illnesses.
The majority appear as free posts or paid advertisements on Facebook, the most popular social media site among the 76 million internet users in the Philippines.
They can circulate for weeks or even months without detection as Facebook struggles to keep up with the torrent of misinformation flooding its platform.
While there is no vetting of posts before they go live, Facebook has a multi-stage, largely automated, review system to check ads before they are published.
Many of the products are promoted in videos that have been doctored to make it look like real medical professionals are endorsing them.
Others appear in falsified news reports, while some are touted by vloggers such as Demasudlay.
AFP fact checkers have debunked dozens of claims, including a manipulated Philippine news report that appeared to promote a herbal supplement for diabetics as an alternative to insulin.
A single post of the false video was viewed more than three million times, shared more than seven thousand times and attracted almost ten thousand comments from people, many wanting to buy it.
Demasudlay’s 15-minute video was posted in August 2022 and viewed more than ten thousand times.
She falsely claimed the “Bar Bilat Virginity Soap” had been approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration as a treatment for skin conditions and a way to tighten the vagina.
“Bilat” means “vagina” in a local Philippine language.
In fact, the FDA has warned consumers against using the “unauthorised” soap due to possible health risks that range from skin irritation to organ failure.
A few months later, Demasudlay admitted in another video that the soap had left her “itchy to the point of bleeding” — but she kept promoting it.
Demasudlay declined to be interviewed by AFP.