“Fake” doctor nabbed

CEBU, Philippines — A “bogus” doctor was arrested by the operatives of National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Central Visayas during an entrapment operation on Tuesday, December 10, in Barangay Basak-Pardo, Cebu City.

The suspect was identified as Roel Fernandez Bacus also known as Mommy Debs, 57, a resident of the same barangay.

NBI-7 director Atty. Rennan Augustus Oliva said the suspect misrepresented himself for a licensed physician and had been doing face and body enhancement to unsuspecting victims for four years now.

The operation stemmed from complaints of three individuals who had “hip enhancement” procedure done by Bacus. The victims claimed that they were able to connect with the suspect through referrals.

However, few weeks after the procedure the victims suffered from complications that needed medical intervention. In fact, one of the complainants had to seek hospital help due to complications that affected her abdomen.

According to Oliva, the victim underwent a medical procedure in the hospital to remove the fluid injected to her during the “hip enhancement” procedure.

"It resulted in damage to their persons which required legitimate medical intervention for their cure," said Oliva.

The NBI found out that Bacus has been doing his illegal practice in hotels and in his residence. It was learned that the suspect used to work as a medical aid of a licensed doctor but got terminated after his employer learned of his illegal activity.

"After his termination he created his own illegal practice, which led to his entrapment," Oliva said.

Confiscated during the operation were numerous vials, unused needles, and other paraphernalia. Some of the products were labeled in foreign characters.

Having worked as a medical aid, Oliva believes that Bacus gained "working knowledge" on the procedure in convincing his clients.

"We cannot exactly pinpoint how many customers he already had but you can just imagine he has been doing this for three to four years already," Oliva added.

Meanwhile, supervising agent Francis Señora shared that they are now validating the vials obtained through chemistry processing.

"Initially it was referred to us that he has been using silicone gels as a substitute on hyaluronic acid," said Señora.

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) certified that Bacus was not on the list of licensed medical practitioners in the country.

Bacus will be facing criminal charges for violation of Republic Act 2382 or the Illegal Practice of Medicine, Estafa, and Serious Physical Injury. — (FREEMAN)