Screengrab from Dr. Tony Leachon

The development of Artificial Intelligence and fake news syndicates has unfortunately resulted in an increase in the number of victims with public reputations to protect.

One example is from 2023 when Dr. Anthony Leachon, the Department of Health special adviser for noncommunicable diseases and an internist-cardiologist at Manila Doctors Hospital, filed an identity theft case against companies promoting herbal and organic products using his image without consent.

The complaint addresses the unauthorized use of his identity to endorse unverified health products such as Dianorm, Jointlab, Glufarelin, and Grandsure Gold.

According to Leachon's press statement, the misuse of his identity involves deceptive online promotions that falsely suggest his endorsement of these products. Leachon emphasized that these products are not registered with the FDA and that the advertisements falsely alter existing publicity materials to create the impression of his endorsement.

Rappler, who wrote the article, fact-checked Facebook ads for Glufarelin and Grandsure Gold, confirming the unauthorized use of Leachon's image.

In his complaint affidavit, Leachon stated, "The said website also makes use of my image and identity, and makes unauthorized alterations to existing publicity materials I have. It also gives the impression that I endorse the said product and the science behind it, which is thoroughly untrue."

It is his right to file a complaint given the damage that has incurred on his reputation. All victims of deception have the right to address their grievances in court as they do not choose to be in situations that are often thrust upon them by external forces.
Ironically, this action brings to mind the classic tale of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.”

In the story, a shepherd boy, bored with his monotonous task of watching over the village's sheep, decides to entertain himself by falsely crying out that a wolf is attacking the flock.

Twice, the villagers rush to his aid only to find there is no wolf, and the boy laughs at their expense. When a real wolf eventually appears and the boy genuinely calls for help, the villagers ignore him, thinking it's another false alarm. As a result, the wolf attacks the sheep, leading to a significant loss for the village.

This story illustrates the critical lesson that trust, once broken, is hard to rebuild. It highlights how repeated lies can lead to a loss of credibility, causing people to doubt even truthful statements in the future.

The boy's actions serve as a cautionary tale about the repercussions of dishonesty and the importance of maintaining trust and integrity.

To his credit, Dr. Leachon was an endorser of vaccines during the height of the pandemic. An article in the Manila Bulletin in 2021 quoted the him during a Senate hearing saying that only five vaccines are “effective” against the more transmissible Delta coronavirus variant.

The article went on to say:

“Leachon said that these vaccines are those made by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Janssen, and Bharat Biotech. 'Fifty percent of our orders are from Sinovac, now what is the problem with this? There are only five vaccines that will be effective for the Delta variant. This is based on their efficacy rate,' he said.

'There are no published reports for Sinovac and Sputnik. So ayun yung nakikita natin, are we ordering the right vaccines? Considering that we are dealing with the Delta variant,' he added.”

Assailing other vaccines, which were limited at that time and even affordable, was one of the reasons why he had a squabble with the Department of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire.

“She maintained that all COVID-19 vaccines approved in the Philippines are effective against COVID-19. 'Wala pong basehan ang mga prinesent ni Dr. Leachon kagabi at sana po, gusto lang ho namin ipaliwanag sa ating mga kababayan, na sana hindi tayo nadadala ng mga ganitong ipinapakita or statements (There is no basis on the presentations of Dr. Leachon last night and hopefully, our citizens will not get swayed by such remarks),” the article said.

Fast forward to 2024, and Dr. Leachon has set his sights on a pharmaceutical company, Bell-Kenz Pharma Inc. He alleged that the company uses a scheme of “prescription for sale” and labeled it as the biggest medical corruption in modern times.

Bell-Kenz Chief Executive Officer Dr. Luis Raymond Go, meanwhile, denied the accusations. Go said they do not give doctors commissions in the form of cash or high-end cars and other luxury gifts in exchange for prescribing Bell-Kenz medicines.

The issue has been investigated by the Senate but has not gained any public traction. This is probably because the accuser has previous ties with large pharmaceutical companies, which he admitted in numerous disclosures.

Because of his allegations, Dr. Leachon is now facing cyber libel complaints by Bell-Kenz at the National Bureau of Investigation's Cybercrime Division.

The pandemic allowed Dr. Leachon to publicly endorse certain vaccine brands as his influence was highly valued despite his public squabble with the DOH.

This time, though, on the issue with Bell-Kenz, Dr. Leachon will have to navigate with his lawyers and see how far his public support will take him.