Is Katrina ill-advised?

As a woman, I congratulated Katrina Halili for swallowing her pride and dignity by exposing what obviously is a blatant act against her person and privacy. Not everyone can be as strong as she. Her case reminds us of rape cases where the victims risk all that they have, by having themselves subjected to ridicule and humiliation by exposing to the public their having been violated. Katrina’s case, of course, is not a rape case; by her own admission she willingly participated in a passionate bedroom drama. But the crime committed against her is her not knowing that she and her lover were being videotaped.

Not surprisingly, there are many who cast stones at her, saying she deserves what she gets. From this Stand, I believe she should be given justice for her having been exploited and turned into a commercial commodity through the sale of video tapes of her and her lover’s indiscretions.

Lately, the storm of controversy surrounding the Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili sex videos seems to have blown over and relegated to the showbiz section of publications and occasional pick-ups on entertainment programs on TV. It’s a good thing, too; with more pressing national issues requiring our attention and concern.  

Katrina seems intent on keeping the issue on everyone’s consciousness. One day last week, the actress managed to breathe life into a comatose issue by barging in on a meeting of Department of Health officials discussing the swine flu pandemic and then filing a petition with the Professional Regulation Commission. To a lot of people’s surprise, the target of her attack was Dr. Vicki Belo, herself a victim of the voyeuristic, two-timing Dr. Hayden Kho.

At the DOH, Halili asked that the clinics of the Belo Medical Group (BMG) be shut down. Asked by reporters why she was shifting her sights on the clinics, Halili said something that sounded a bit unrelated to the question and then mercifully allowed her lawyer to do the explaining.  

Her beef against Belo is that Kho who was then connected with the Belo Medical Group, performed a liposuction procedure on her without him having gone through the appropriate residency period. She claims that a cosmetic surgeon must have a residency of at least four years before being qualified to conduct the procedure. This, according to Halili (or her lawyer) proves that the BMG was guilty of medical malpractice.

I’m not a lawyer, but my dictionary of legal terms defines malpractice as “a type of negligence in which the misfeasance or nonfeasance of a professional, under a duty to act, fails to follow generally accepted professional standards, and that breach of duty is the proximate cause of injury to a plaintiff who suffers damages”. Now, how exactly was Katrina Halili “damaged” by her liposuction?

It would seem that only she and her lawyer know, because in countless billboards and photo spreads, the work that was done to her by Kho at a BMG clinic, was clearly impressive. In fact, it’s not a stretch to say that this liposuction probably helped her bag various endorsements and roles on TV and the big screen. Ironically, the now-iconic “Careless Whisper” video may be the best evidence proving the absence of injury or damage. Katrina herself admits that the controversial video was recorded shortly after her liposuction, and those who have seen it most assuredly say that she looks pretty darn good and in great shape.

Yet another question is asked, why bring up the complaint only now, two years after she had undergone the procedure? If Katrina truly felt Kho was not qualified to do the procedure and she was not satisfied with the job done on her, she should have raised a howl, way before she started moving in on Vicki Belo’s man.

Moreover, in response to Katrina’s claim of a residency requirement for cosmetic surgeons, Dr. Bu C. Castro, spokesperson and former president of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), said: “At present, there is no formal residency or training program for liposuction procedure(s) recognized by the PMA. Currently, what is recognized by the PMA is a training program by the Philippine Association of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery (PAPRAS), which includes among other hundreds of procedures ‘liposuction’. Affiliation is recognized, but is not considered a specialty; there is no internal regulation within the PMA on the matter of who are qualified or who are recognized to practice liposuction in the Philippines.”

From the Stands, I can see that Katrina may feel beleaguered — and rightly so. But as a means to justify that feeling, she’s going out and attempting to demolish all parties that are associated with Kho. In short: this is a classic case of gigil on Katrina’s part. And it’s working, too, but against her. Even her staunchest supporters, her talent manager Lolit Solis, for one, are becoming alienated. (On the Star Talk program on Channel 7 last Saturday, Solis said, “Katrina, sumosobra ka na.”) Who’s egging her to make these latest moves? There is a saying about rubbing the leather off your shoes when you shine them too much. Katrina seems to be doing pretty much the same thing. 

Let’s hope that the move to target Belo and her clinics is not on the prodding of those around her who are blinded by peso signs in their eyes. It would be a disservice to Katrina who initially won widespread sympathy but may lose it if she keeps up with mindlessly sniping at those whom her advisers feel are potential sources of funds.

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