The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ramps up the search for scammers who are using photos of social media personalities in fake advertisements of food and drug supplements. ''Yung mga fake advertisement na yan madulas yan eh, madulas pa sa isda yan so ibig sabihin pag nakita mo sila, bukas wala na sila dun sa opisina nila o sa warehouse na ginagamitan nila (Those fake advertisements are slippery, even slippier than fish, so that means when you see them, tomorrow they would not be there in their office or in the warehouse they use)," said FDA Director General Samuel Zacate on Friday, July 21. The FDA has been in coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group for two months, even before the health department and other agencies took notice of this issue, he added.

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[Health chief to tap FDA, NBI vs false celebrity endorsement of supplements](https://mb.com.ph/2023/7/4/health-chief-to-tap-fda-nbi-vs-false-celebrity-endorsement-of-supplements) "Unang una, ang mandato ng FDA is to protect the Filipino people as to the products that they are consuming. (First and foremost, the mandate of the FDA is to protect the Filipino people as to the products that they are consuming) There is a verification portal; it's completely updated in our website. Bisitahin nyo lang po yung website namin nandun na kahit yung pangalan lang at brand ng produkto lalabas na ngayon yun (Just visit our website. Even the name and brand of the product will appear now)," he said. There are already several persons of interest under investigation, but as of now, none of them have been caught and sanctioned yet. Zacate noted that those who are proven to be involved in these fake advertisements will face sanctions under Republic Act 9711, otherwise known as "The Food and Drug Administration Act of 2009." The Act mandates the safety, efficacy, and quality of health products such as food, drugs, cosmetics, devices, and the like consumed and purchased by the public. Violators will face imprisonment for one year but not more than 10 years or a fine of not less than P50,000 to P500,000, or both.