Dr. Farrah as DOH secretary? Doc Adam shares alleged letter written to Duterte in 2018

February 24, 2023 - 4:52 PM
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Phyiscian Adam Smith in this screengrab of his video uploaded on his YouTube channel on Feb. 22, 2023 and physician Farrah Agustin-Bunch in this photo from her Facebook page on March 4, 2021 (Doc Adam/YouTube; DrFarrahBunch/Facebook)

An alleged letter posted by Australian physician Adam Smith claimed that Filipino physician Farrah Agustin-Bunch personally wrote to former president Rodrigo Duterte about her intention to apply for the health secretary post.

The Filipino-speaking doctor-vlogger on Friday shared that among the documents he has “uncovered” in his two years of research about Dr. Farrah was her alleged letter addressed to Duterte written on Aug. 14, 2018.

“In my 2 [two] years researching [about] Dr. Farrah, I have uncovered many [evidence] and documents. I intend to release many of these documents on my Dr. Farrah Saga website (link in bio),” Doc Adam said in a Facebook post on February 24.

“One of my [favorite] documents is a letter Dr. Farrah wrote to then-president Duterte in 2018 where she claimed to be the most experienced medical doctor in the country whilst daring anyone to find someone more qualified than her,” he added.

In the alleged letter, Dr. Farrah said that she intended “to apply for the position of Department of Health Secretary or Food and Drug Administration Secretary.”

The Food and Drug Administration Philippines, being an agency under the Department of Health, is not governed by a secretary but a director general.

In the letter, Dr. Farrah described herself as “the most experienced medical doctor in the country with the clinical experience of treating over 150,000 patients.”

She also supposedly described herself as an “inventor, published author, celebrity, and fierce opponent of corruption.”

Dr. Farrah added that the “level of gross inactivity and negligence” from the DOH and the FDA for the promotion of healthy Filipinos “is a shameful embarrassment” to her as a doctor.

“I’ve had enough of the corruption and feel that the best person to do something about this mess is me. Who better to drive the healthcare bus than the most experienced doctor in the country? I dare anyone to find someone more qualified than me,” the alleged letter reads.

“I never envisioned myself a health public servant, but the ones we have complete failures. This is an area, Mr. President, where you can leave the Philippines far better than you found it. I challenge you to do so. I double dog dare you, Mr. President,” it added.

The alleged letter also bore a smiling emoticon at the end of her last sentence.

It also indicated that Dr. Farrah requested compensation of P1 per year.

“If you enjoyed reading this, then I am sure you will enjoy the Dr. Farrah saga website,” Doc Adam said in the comments.

During the period that the letter was supposedly written, the DOH was headed by then-health secretary Francisco Duque III while then-director general Nela Charade Puno helmed FDA Philippines.

Comeback 

On February 22, Doc Adam released his comeback video after years of hiatus on creating content following his lawsuit with Dr. Farrah.

He also introduced on Twitter The Dr. Farrah Saga website which includes accounts of his dealings with Dr. Farrah who he said gives “crazy medical advice.”

“This Dr. Farrah lawsuit might’ve broken my desire to make videos… But it will never break my soul. So I made a Youtube video and a website,” Doc Adam tweeted before.

On his website, the doctor-vlogger said he has become “increasingly aware of Dr. Farrah and her many, still publicly available, questionable past actions” as a result of his court case in Australia.

“Actions that as a Doctor, I am unable to ignore. Actions that in my opinion, have put many vulnerable cancer and chronic disease [sufferers] at risk,” Doc Adam said.

Earlier this month, the Australian physician said that he would use the evidence he has against Dr. Farrah to further educate the public about her misleading health-related claims.

“There is a lot we can learn from the previous misleading actions of Dr. Farrah,” Doc Adam added.

READ: Doc Adam to take action vs Dr. Farrah’s alleged health misinformation

Doc Adam is known for creating videos that aim to correct and fight health and medical-related misinformation since 2017. He has also debunked claims about some products.

The doctor-vlogger has been embroiled in legal battles against Dr. Farrah after debunking some of her claims, which include her ideas about cancer treatment.

ALSO READ: ‘I’m back’: After YouTube hiatus, Australian Doc Adam returns with a challenge to Doc Farrah

Dr. Farrah, who has over three million followers on Facebook, is a doctor who promotes natural medicine through social media.

She was mentioned on physician Stephen Barrett‘s website called Quackwatch, which warns people about health frauds, myths, and misconceptions.

Dr. Farrah previously acknowledged the negative criticisms against her by saying that it has “no purpose other than to express ill will, affect the interests of others, and tarnish the image of one’s professional colleagues.”