Vilma Santos talks about movie, television comeback

As if to emphasize the dan gers of surgical cosmetic  enhancements done by dubious surgeons, a singer has filed a complaint against a supposed doctor who performed a butt enhancement on her.

In the complaint she filed with the National Bureau of Investigation, Selena Sevilla, who popularized the song “Nilunok Kong Lahat,” claimed that she developed an infection because of the operation that put her life at risk.

Sevilla said that a certain Dr. R.A. Eugenio injected silicon oil into her butt in 1998. Later she noticed that one side of her butt had become bigger than the other, so she returned to Eugenio to fix the problem. “He repaired it and it was perfect. But five years ago, I felt pain and then I noticed that my butt started emitting oil, and when I was in London, my butt was stiff. In the past months, my butt started to be deformed and the changes were rapid. I consulted a doctor, who told me that the infection spread in my butt.”

Sevilla said she paid Eugenio P20,000 for the operation. She added that at that time, she knew that Eugenio had patients who were aspiring actresses and Filipina entertainers working in Japan.

She said such operations were secrets before. “No one would admit that we undergo enhancements. But I have to be beautiful because as a performer you have to be a total package. And I already had a child at the time I was discovered by Alpha Records so I have to improve my butt.”

Eugenio could face charges of illegal medical practice and reckless impudence resulting in serious injuries. But the problem is that he couldn’t be located and is believed to have left the country.

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Dr. Vicki Bello was driven to tears by the questioning she underwent at the Department of Justice last week. She was invited for questioning in connection with the sex video controversy involving her boyfriend Dr. Hayden Kho Jr.

Dr. Belo said the grilling was an ordeal because it delved on Hayden’s affairs with other women.

The good doctor can expect more of the same once the controversy reaches the courts and she is cross-examined.

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For Gov. Vilma Santos, the shooting in New York of Star Cinema’s “In My Life” was no walk in the park. For one, Director Olive Lamasan was pushing the actors to their limit. “She’s a perfectionist, so none of us had a take one,” Ms. Vi recalled.

The film’s schedule was also exhausting. She said her feet were all plastered up because of all the walking she did.

That left Vi with little time to do anything else. She wanted to do some shopping, but her breaks from the shooting were few and far between. Her co-stars John Lloyd Cruz and son Luis Manzano, however, managed to squeeze in some time to hit New York’s famous stores. “When I’m doing scenes with Lloydie, Luis sneaks off. When I’m doing scenes with Luis, Lloydie sneaks off. When they return to the set, they are laden with shopping bags. Luis even bought a Prada backpack. I said to myself, this ain’t fair.”

So when she finally found the time, she spent half a day doing the stores.

She was also able to watch only one Broadway play—Chicago. “Even if I already have tickets, I have to spend time with my family. Besides, I was too exhausted to go and watch.”

She only had time to rest up when she linked up with her family in Los Angeles.

Vi admits that despite her long career in showbiz, it’s still a learning process. “Having lots of awards doesn’t mean that you already know everything.”

She isn’t showing signs of slowing down. Aside from “In My Life,” Vi is also taping “Vilma: A Woman for All Seasons,” a documentary/reality TV program that will air on ABS-CBN in August.