Belo faces criminal raps for botched butt job
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 11/05/2009 3:41 PM
Printer-friendly version | 
Send to friend | 
Share your views
MANILA - The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Thursday filed a string of criminal complaints against celebrity cosmetic surgeon Victoria "Vicky" Belo and two other doctors for a botched butt augmentation procedure.
The NBI filed before the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office the complaints of estafa, reckless imprudence resulting in serious physical injuries, violation of the National Internal Revenue Code and violation of Article 110 of the Consumer Act.
The bureau said estafa was filed against Belo and doctors Ronaldo Cayetano and Francis Decangchon for deceiving Josefina Norcio into paying P250,000 for the butt operation, which went wrong.
Forty-year-old Norcio suffered complications from 2 butt augmentation procedures performed by Belo Medical Group doctors in 2003 and 2005.
The NBI said reckless imprudence was filed against Belo and the two doctors because of the injury caused by the butt augmentation on the patient.
The other two complaints were filed because of the Belo Medical Group's failure to issue official receipts to the victim and for the deceptive advertisement on its website regarding butt augmentation and the use of hydrogel for cosmetic surgery procedures.
The NBI said that the website assures potential customers that the use of hydrogel is safe because it is 95 percent water.
The bureau's investigators, however, said that any foreign object injected into a human body is bound to cause injury.
Revoke Belo’s license
Norcio had recently petitioned the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) to revoke the license of Belo, Decangchon, Cayetano and two other doctors – Filipino Buñag Jr. and Tony del Rio.
Cayetano performed the butt augmentation procedure on Norcio in 2003.
In 2005, Decangchon, an obstetric-gynecologist, corrected assymetry that resulted from Norcio's previous surgery under Cayetano.
Both doctors are no longer affiliated with the BMG.
Norcio said she started felling intense pain and swelling in her buttocks in May 11, 2009 and found out that it was caused by the hdrogel implants.
Norcio said Belo had personally examined her in 2003 and assured her that hydrogel was safe.
The material, which has not been certified by the Food and Drug Administration (formerly Bureau of Food and Drugs), had reportedly seeped into other parts of Norcio's body, nearly causing her death.
Hydrogel, composed of 97.5% water, is banned from the US, Europe, and China over safety issues.
Comments