Belo a no-show at NBI butt job probe

MANILA, Philippines - Celebrity cosmetic surgeon Vicki Belo did not show up yesterday at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to give her side on a complaint filed against her by a businesswoman who claimed a buttock augmentation procedure done at Belo’s clinic caused an infection that nearly killed her.

Adel Tamano has resigned as Belo’s lawyer, but Agnes Maranan and Hanz Santos represented Belo yesterday and asked for more time to study the complaint filed by Josefina Norcio.

“We want to know the long term side effect (of the treatment). Hopefully by next week, Dr. Belo will appear,” said head agent Ross Bautista, executive officer of the Deputy Director Intelligence Services (DDIS).

The NBI is set to serve a final subpoena to Belo after she failed to appear before the agency to give her side in the reportedly botched buttock augmentation operation.

“They (lawyers) cannot answer the questions in her behalf. We want to ask Dr. Belo on the technical aspects of the butt augmentation surgery, particularly in the use of hydrogel (implant) for the operation,” Bautista said.

He added that they would want to clarify the claim of Dr. Francis Decangchon, who used to work for Belo, that all materials and equipment used by cosmetic surgeons at the Belo Medical Group (BMG) were provided by the company.

He said that they also want to know where the hydrogel used by the BMG comes from, who supplies the implants, and if this was brought into the country through the proper process.

Argee Guevarra, Norcio’s lawyer, rejected claims that his client sought the services of other doctors.

“My client only went to Belo Medical Clinic for butt augmentation. So they cannot say that the reason of the injuries was because she sought the services of other doctors,” he said.

Bautista said Norcio had claimed that Belo was the consultant at the time she was still considering undergoing the operation.

Norcio claimed that she was not informed of any side effects of the surgery and this made her decide to undergo surgery.

In her complaint, Norcio alleged that a botched butt enhancement operation conducted on her in 2003 and 2005 at the Belo Medical Clinic caused an infection in her buttocks.

She had to undergo a series of surgeries for the removal of pus and the ruptured hydrogel implant used for the butt augmentation surgery.   – Sandy Araneta