Katrina Halili wants Belo clinics shut down

MANILA, Philippines—Actress Katrina Halili has asked the Department of Health (DoH) to revoke the license to operate of Vicki Belo’s beauty clinics for “recklessly” allowing controversial cosmetic surgeon Hayden Kho to perform liposuction on her.

Halili’s legal counsel, Raymund Palad, said Thursday that when she underwent a liposuction surgery at the Belo Medical Group Inc. (BMGI) in August 2007, Kho then still didn’t have the required residency training to perform such a cosmetic procedure.

“Siya po ang nag-lipo sa akin. May tiwala naman po ako sa Belo Medical during that time. Pero kaya ako nandito ngayon para hindi na maulit ito sa iba kasi delikado po,” Halili told reporters in an interview.

In a two-page sworn complaint submitted to DoH, Halili said Mario Victoria ‘Vicky’ Belo-Henares “recklessly allowed Dr. Hayden Kho Jr. to practice liposuction on Katrina despite the fact that Dr. Hayden lacks qualification, training and specialization as cosmetic surgeon.”

She said Kho passed the medical board exam in February 2007 and the liposuction surgery was done in August 2007.

This violated the DoH’s Rules and Regulations Governing the Licensure and Regulation of Ambulatory Surgical Clinics, which states that surgeons should at least have a four-year medical residency before practice, Palad said.

Medical clinic get their license to operation from the DoH.

Halili also wanted that estranged lovers Belo and Kho be barred “from practice of the medical profession.”

Palad said this is the second complaint filed against the BGMI for the clinic’s alleged medical malpractice. Another patient had asked that the BMGI’s license be revoked after an alleged failed “thermage” operation in 2007.

Halili last month sued Kho over their leaked sex videos.

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Halili files malpractice suit vs Belo, Kho

MANILA, Philippines—After seeking the help of the Department of Health, actress Katrina Halili also filed Thursday afternoon charges of medical malpractice against surgeons Vicki Belo and Hayden Kho at the Professional Regulation Commission, according to lawyer Pharson Mamalo, head of the PRC legal division.

In her complaint, Halili claimed that Kho conducted liposuction on her in August 2007 even without undergoing the required four-year residency training in cosmetic surgery.

Kho reportedly passed the medical board exam in February 2007.

Halili included Belo in her complaint because the cosmetic surgeon to the stars allegedly allowed Kho, who was then working at her Belo Medical Clinic, to perform the procedure, Mamalo said.

Halili also went to the Department of Health on Thursday to ask the agency to shut down the Belo medical clinics nationwide for allowing Kho to perform liposuction without the necessary training on the procedure.

Halili previously filed a case against Kho for recording on video their sexual encounters without her consent. She also filed additional charges against him, Belo, Eric Johnston Chua and another Kho friend for uploading the video clip into the Internet .

Kho and Belo have denied ordering the uploading of the video. But Chua said Belo had control of the master copy, giving her all the opportunity to order its uploading.

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Justice starts probe of Halili-Kho sex-video scandal

A huge crowd gathered at the Department of Justice Friday for the hearing of the Katrina Halili-Hayden Kho case, everyone eager to see in person the stars of the most sought-after sex video in town.

During the hearing, lawyer Lorna Kapunan, counsel for Kho, asked the panel of prosecutors headed by Senior State Prosecutor Emilie Fe de los Santos to issue a gag order on both parties, considering that the case is now under preliminary investigation.

“What should be a private offense which should be discussed in the appropriate legal venue is fast becoming a trial by publicity and clouds public perception on the case,” Kapunan told the probe panel.

Kapunan was referring to Hali­li’s scathing comments during media interviews.

According to the lawyer, the Halili camp was not observing “proper legal decorum” as any issue should not be discussed publicly when already filed in the prosecutorial or court level.

Lawyer Raymund Palad, counsel for Halili, questioned Kapunan’s allegations, claiming that their camp has been filing only the appropriate administrative sanctions against Kho and his girlfriend, Dr. Vicky Belo, with the proper government agencies.

The prosecutor thus denied Kapunan’s request for gag order request but gave assurance that the probe panel would monitor the activities of Halili and her counsel.

“We can’t really issue a gag order on private persons [Halili and her counsel]. But we assure we will be strictly monitoring the activities of these persons and will file the necessary complaints against them at the Integrated Bar of the Philippines [IBP] if we see any breach of decorum on their part,” de los Santos said.

The prosecutor further said, “Rest assured that the panel will not base its conclusions on media reports and that it will do its best to get to the bottom of the case through careful sifting of facts and testimony submitted by the parties.”

Kho also submitted his counter-affidavit but its contents would not be made public until the next hearing on June 25, when the other respondents, Dr Mark del Rosario, Princess Mae Velasco and Erik Hohnston Chua, are expected to submit their sworn statements.

The panel also ordered the Halili camp to submit the sworn testimonies of their witnesses.

Belo also submitted her counter-affidavit, after arriving together with her counsel, lawyer Adel Tamano, an hour late, prompting de los Santos to order all parties to appear on time in the next hearing.

Halili has charged Kho, Belo, del Rosario, Chua and Velasco with violation of Section 5 (h) and (i) of the Republic Act 9262, or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act.

Delay in NBI probe

Lawyer Palmer Mallari, head agent of the National Bureau of Investigation-Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division (NBI-AFCCD), said the bureau has already identified the website where the video was first uploaded but the request for the system log would have to be facilitated through a United States court.

Mallari said the process would take at least three months and would depend if the US court would grant the request.

He said that the request was submitted to the US-based website two weeks ago.

In a separate development, the bureau announced that they issued a subpoena Princess Velasco, requesting her to appear before the NBI to shed light on the matter.

Velasco was mentioned in the sworn affidavit of Erik Johnston Chua as among four people who were present when the videos were taken from Kho’s laptop inside his room. Chua said Belo and Rosario were also present when the video was taken.

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DOJ denies Hayden plea to gag Katrina

MANILA, Philippines—The lawyer of Dr. Hayden Kho asked on Friday the Department of Justice to issue a gag order barring the camp of actress Katrina Halili from making statements that would put the cosmetic surgeon who figured in the sex video scandal in a bad light.

The DOJ declined the request.

Lawyer Lorna Kapunan asked the DOJ panel chaired by State Prosecutor Emilie Fe De los Santos to prevent Halili and her camp from issuing “incendiary public statements” against Kho.

This was the first time Halili and Kho faced each other since the emotionally-charged Senate inquiry on the sex video scandal last month.

During the Senate probe, Kho was doused with water by a member of the gallery—ex-police officer Abner Afuang.

No such incident was forthcoming at the DOJ’s preliminary investigation yesterday but Halili, even in silence managed to hog the attention as she continuously glared at Kho throughout the hearing.

Assisted by counsel, Halili and Kho affirmed their complaint-affidavit and counter-affidavit, respectively.

Belo came late

Dr. Vicki Belo, Kho’s former girl friend, who has been linked to the spread of the videos in public, was absent at the preliminary investigation but showed up after the proceedings to submit her own counter-affidavit.

The preliminary investigation was meant to find whether there was probable cause to charge Kho with violation of the Anti-Violence against Women and Children Act

“Can we have a ruling that out of respect for [this panel] that no incendiary public statement be made,” said Kapunan during the proceedings.

Mum on sex

“The press is not a government agency, neither is it a court… There has been so much public uproar on what is supposed to be a private affair,” she added.

Lawyer Raymund Palad, counsel for Halili, said the public statements they made were on the other cases they had filed against Kho, such as the malpractice suit against the Belo Medical Group.

“We are not saying anything on the sex video,” Palad said.

No control

State Prosecutor De los Santos, however, turned down Kapunan’s request for a gag order, saying that the DOJ panel conducting the preliminary investigation had no control over what the private parties would say.

Nevertheless, she cautioned both parties on issuing public statements of fact that weren’t in their affidavits.

“It can affect the case,” De los Santos said.

Other respondents Eric Johnston Chua, Mark Herbert Rosario and Princess Velasco failed to show up but were represented during the proceedings by their lawyers.

Violation against women

Halili filed a case against Kho for violation of the Anti-Violence against Women and Children Act in connection with the video clips taken while they were having sex. The videos have since been uploaded on the Internet for the public to see.

Chua, in a statement submitted to the National Bureau of Investigation, and in a television interview, said Belo had asked him and Rosario to take Kho’s computer from the latter’s condominium unit.

Chua said he was told to copy the sex videos on a disc and to destroy the files from the hard disc afterwards. He said only Belo had a copy of the disc.

Belo has since denied insinuations that she was the source of the sex videos that have been posted on Internet porn sites and sold in the streets as DVDs.

Delay in NBI probe

Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has encountered a delay in its probe to unmask the person responsible for uploading the Kho-Halili sex video on the web.

While the NBI has identified the US-based website where the scandalous video was first uploaded, the agency’s request for the system log which could identify the culprit would have to be facilitated through a US court, said Palmer Mallari, head agent of the Anti-Fraud and Computer Crimes Division (AFCCD).

The system log—like a fingerprint—will reflect the Internet protocol address and the domain registration that will identify the person responsible for the initial upload, Mallari said.

“It would take months if we go through this process. We have other cases that need to be investigated. We cannot set them aside,” Mallari said, adding that such a process would take from one to three months, depending on the US court that would grant the request.

He said they had sent the request to the US-based website two weeks ago and only recently received their response.

System log

“We can secure the order from a US court because we have evidence for probable cause. But the delay is a setback to resolving the case,” Mallari said.

The NBI, he said, was waiting for the justice department to come up with an alternative legal measure to obtain the system log.

Mallari also said they issued a subpoena to a certain Princess Velasco, who was present when the videos in Kho’s laptop computer were discovered.

According to a sworn statement of businessman Chua, when he opened Kho’s laptop computer, celebrity cosmetic surgeon Dr. Belo, Dr. Rosario and Velasco were with him in the room.

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Halili files raps vs Belo, 2 others

MANILA, Philippines— (UPDATE) Actress Katrina Halili on Monday filed criminal complaint against Dr. Vicki Bello and two others before the Department of Justice (DOJ) believed to be responsible for uploading her steamy videos with Belo’s boyfriend Dr. Hayden Kho.

Aside from Bello, also slapped with the complaint for violation of Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act of 2004 were Engineer Eric Johnston Chua and Dr. Mark Herbert “Bistek”Rosario.

Halili said she included the three believing that they are also responsible for disseminating the videos via the Internet.

“Sinama ko na po sa reklamo ko lahat ng may kinalaman sa uploading ng videos (I included in the complaint all those who had a hand in uploading the videos),” Halili told reporters.

Last Friday, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) already filed a complaint for violation of RA 9262 against Kho.

Bello gave Chua and Rosario the keys to Kho’s condominium unit so that they could retrieve the latter’s hard drive.

Chua, in his affidavit submitted before the National Bureau of Investigation, denied uploading the videos, but admitted to retrieving the hard drive and making a copy of Kho’s sex videos on a DVD.

Chua said he gave the DVD to Bello and in front of Bello, deleted the files in the hard drive.

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Kho-Halili video scandal reveals Internet blackmailing

(UPDATE): My latest interview aired on GMA7 Saksi and QTV11 News on Q. The Senate investigation regarding the Hayden Kho and Katrina Halili sex scandal revealed nothing new except for how Halili fell deeply in love with Kho, which was unreciprocated by the latter. According to Kho, the relationship was simply about sex, drugs, sex and drugs.

Vicky Belo's legal counsel lawyer Adel Tamano said the reported 40 sex videos involved only four women, Vicki Belo included. But Senator Jamby Madrigal, chairman of the Senate committee on youth, women, and family relations, said otherwise. Madrigal said the videos out in the wild reportedly involved four women, so there are 36 or 37 more left.

It seems the Senator was right. I heard from the grapevine that there is another video circulating which involves Kho and an unknown partner (unknown meaning not popular). So far, there are around five to six names that have surfaced, allegedly having it out with Kho in a sex video.

Which makes people wonder how come these videos have not been as widely distributed as the Halili video. Money in exchange for the non-distribution of the videos is what people are speculating. Kho himself revealed that there were people who called his mobile phone asking for something like 4 million pesos for the non-distribution of the videos.

Perhaps the other celebrities (if, indeed, they have their videos) have received such calls as well. "Pay or we distribute the video or upload it to the Web" seems to be the order of the day. Given the power of the Net, victims will definitely consider whether they should pay up or face the consequences of having the shameful acts online forever.

Halili cannot put it better. She said: "I may vanish from this world, but my video stays on the Web." Well said, indeed. We just witnessed the power of technology used in the wrong way, the Internet used for blackmailing.

Pirated videos may be minimized. Authorities can go around to places to confiscate these materials. But when it's up on the Web, the distribution is magnified by 10- or even 100-fold due to its global reach. The question is, are we prepared for this new kind of blackmailing? How can authorities stop this kind of threat? Millions or even billions will exchange hands here. Internet blackmailing is a worldwide problem and is worst than hostage-taking or terrorists combined because of the damage it can do to individuals and/or groups.

The best advice to prevent such things from happening again is not to create/record such materials. If you really want to create one, be prepared to guard it with your life. Same goes for important documents such as contracts and proposals.

Out of curiosity, will you pay or will you just wait for your videos to be uploaded online?

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Kho-Halili scandal: a lesson in sex ethics

While scrutiny into the scandal between Dr. Hayden Kho and Katrina Halili has focused on sex, drugs, and the videos, a women's rights advocate said that people are losing sight of bigger issues.

"I'm a little worried over how the media is mishandling the issue on sexuality and pornography. The deeper discussion should be how we are looking at sexuality, how we are portraying it, what we are saying about people's sexual rights," said Dr. Sylvia Claudio of the UP-based Center for Women's Studies on ABS-CBN's "Media In Focus."

She said that the issue has prompted many misconceptions about sex, including the idea that sexy stars waive their rights to human dignity. The need to respect intimate aspects of people's lives has also been overlooked.

"There is 'vanilla sex' (conservative sex), and there is kinky sex. And I think we should just talk about adult consent and be sure that if it comes out, we should stay out of it," Claudio said.

On the issue of taping sex acts, however, Claudio said the deeper issue should be getting consent from both parties. Otherwise, this would constitute an offense against women's rights.

"The problem with new technology is that it still tends to go along the lines of old problems. A lot of women are being hurt, in the same way a boyfriend will tape a girlfriend having sex, and using technology to debase somebody. The point is, we should educate ourselves about what are the sexual ethics that are important," she said.

Media frenzy

Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, meanwhile, lamented the media's penchant for giving blow-by-blow accounts of the sex video scandal. He said the issue may have made "peeping toms out of the public."

Cayetano, who heads the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, cited recent reports which chose to highlight the emotional outbursts of Halili during the Senate probe as well as an incident when an angry spectator doused Kho with water. These incidents, he said, were given live coverage and were replayed again and again.

"There's a difference between live coverage [and] not live. So in live coverage, the Senate has a bigger role on which issues to raise. With the media, the problem is they focus on what is saleable. I didn't want them (Kho and Halili) to be invited, but I wanted to invite the institutions involved instead. So if the two personalities [Kho and Halili] were not there, it would not be as lively. But the media should have prudence and handle [the issue] with care," he said.

Butch Dalisay, an award-winning writer and columnist, agreed that extensive media coverage of the event tended to fuddle more than clarify certain issues.

"The media hasn't been discussing these broader issues as it should and hasn't put this episode in proper context. We have a circus around this episode, and what worries me is how it's turned into a frenzy into all kinds of things that no longer have to do with the [basic issue] of the violation of Ms. Halili's rights and the lack of her informed consent [in taping the sex video]," he said.

Deeper issues

Cayetano said that although some media organizations have treated the issue fairly, many have given the affair sensational coverage.

"When you have so much publicity like this, it's like putting gasoline on a fire. I think the media should move on, along with a profile for reform, change, and mature discussion of all these issues. They should focus on substantial issues," he said.

Cayetano said the Senate should not focus on the sordid details of Kho's affair with Halili, but on the role of investigators in making culprits accountable.

"We should not pry into what happened between Hayden and Katrina. Why do we have to include it in political investigations? [Some] Senators were starstruck, so rather than asking the right questions, you're just satisfying curiosity," he said.

"I wanted a strong message from the police and wanted them to go after these guys who put the sex videos on the internet. The police should show that they're above celebrities and they can show who really released the videos," he added.

He also reminded his peers that there are other women who were featured in sex videos, all of whom could suffer trauma, extortion, or ruined reputations.

Claudio also said that the Senate should consider crafting a law which would address the rights of women (or men) who are victims of sex scandals, without resorting to censorship of all erotic material, like art films or erotic literature. "We should be very careful that people's rights are maintained," she said.

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Super Noypi

Super Noypi is a Filipino fantasy film scheduled for release on December 25, 2006 and is directed by Quark Henares. It is also an official entry to 32nd Metro Manila Film Festival.


Overview

Six normal childhood friends bound together by friendship find themselves faced with a shocking revelation – their parents are the legendary Super Noypi, the most powerful superheroes in the land! But now they are in danger, taken hostage by the wicked super-villain Diego (Monsour del Rosario).

One by one, the six friends discover their super powers: the ability to move objects with their mind, becoming invisible at will, having superhuman strength and speed, transforming into any shape imaginable, casting spells and controlling fire and ice.

With the help of a strong and spirited stranger from the future named Lia (Jennylyn Mercado), who claims that the world as we know it will cease to exist if they don’t stop Diego now, Lorenzo Valdez (Mark Herras), Annys Valdez(Katrina Halili), Yñigo Raymundo (John Prats), Euen Rapisora(Polo Ravales), Michie Rapisora(Sandara Park) and Tonton Valdez(Andrew Muhlach) stick together, taking a stand against evil in order to save the world and the people they love the most.

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Shake, Rattle and Roll 9

Shake, Rattle & Roll 9 is a Filipino horror-comedy film released in 2007 and the ninth installment of the Shake, Rattle & Roll film series. It is also distributed by Regal Films. It is an entry of the 33rd Metro Manila Film Festival

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Sundo

Sundo is a 2009 Filipino suspense-thriller film from director Topel Lee, with screenplay written by his Ouija screenwriter Aloy Adlawan. The film stars Robin Padilla, Katrina Halili, Rhian Ramos, Hero Angeles, Mark Bautista and Sunshine Dizon.[1] The film was released on March 18, 2009.


Premise

In Sundo, Romano (Robin Padilla), a retired military operative who goes into seclusion, discovers that he has the uncanny ability of seeing ghosts around people who will soon encounter sudden, disastrous deaths. Worried of his brother, Romano’s blind sister Isabel (Rhian Ramos) persuades him to return to Manila with the help of Louella (Sunshine Dizon), Romano’s childhood friend who harbors affection for him.

An aspiring actress, Kristina (Katrina Halili), a widow, Lumen (Glydel Mercado), and her nephew, Eric (Hero Angeles) hitch a ride with Romano, Isabel and Louella along with Louella’s driver, Baste (Mark Bautista). On their way back to the city, the group manages to avoid a fatal accident on the road and their respective “sundo” by a twist of fate. Unaware that their sudden brush with death would cause them the most ruthless battle they will ever come to face.

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Gagambino

Gagambino is an adaptation of Carlo J. Caparas' celebrated graphic novel[1] use to air in on GMA Network, produced by its film-arm GMA Films. It premiered on October 20 starring Dennis Trillo leading a band of superheroes, and his six-feet tall spider.


Production

When GMA Network bought the rights to Carlo J. Caparas' graphic novel on February 2007, Richard Gutierrez was attached to star. The series was shelved until 2008, but Gutierrez opted to work on his dream project: Codename: Asero. The network decided that they could not longer delay the series and gave the role to Dennis Trillo, over another heavy contender: JC de Vera, who later joined the cast in LaLola.[3]

Director Topel Lee required Trillo to learn three martial arts in preparation for the role: wing chun, judo and kendo - a Japanese martial art of sword-fighting.[4] He also underwent a rigorous training for parkour.

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Obra (TV series)

Obra, also known as Masterpiece in English, is a weekly anthology that shows of the dramatic talents of GMA Network. For every each month, the show will feature a different talent. The pilot episode aired on August 14.[1]


Premise

Obra is a weekly primetime drama series that features today’s most sought-after GMA-7 stars in four remarkable stories about life, love and sacrifice, where they will prove his/her versatility as artists, playing unconventional roles they have never been seen as before.

The series gathers the country’s first-rate production teams and multi-awarded directors, each with their own set of production teams, to bring the local drama to a whole new level; each episode is a masterpiece: well-written, well-directed and well-portrayed.[2]

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Magdusa Ka

Magdusa Ka (lit. Suffer With It) is a Philippine drama aired on GMA Network, as the eight instalment of Sine Novela. The original movie was released back in 1986.[1]


Origin

The movie Magdusa Ka is one of the most notable and well-celebrated movies that garnered numerous awards from various film organizations such as the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP), Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) and Urian in 1986. The movie was directed by multi-awarded actor Eddie Garcia and boasts of an enviable cast of dramatic actors such as Dina Bonnevie, Christopher de Leon, Dindo Fernando and the late Nida Blanca.


Plot Synopsis

The story of Pablo Gomez's Magdusa Ka revolves around the life of Christine (Katrina Halili), a poor young waitress raised with love and care by her mother, Toyang (Rita Avila). A loving daughter, Christine dreams that one day all the sufferings she and her mother currently endures will end. And she wishes that she will be able to do so, with the help of her boyfriend Rod (Dennis Trillo). She sees a ray of hope when she discovers she is actually the daughter of a Doliente, a powerful, rich family. Her mother prohibits her from seeing Rod and to go to the Doliente mansion. Christine disobeys her mother because she tells herself that the financial aid from the Dolientes will help their family. But as time passes, she is only fooling herself. She is now enjoying the lap of luxury. When she realizes that this life of luxury only brought her more pain, she tries to come back to her mother but she is now closing her doors to her. She must learn to suffer with the consequences of her actions and in the process mend the things she unintentionally destroyed.

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