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A three-pronged probe by the Philippine Medical Association and possible wiretap charges await celebrity doctor Hayden Kho over his sex videos posted online.
A three-pronged probe by the Philippine Medical Association (PMA) and possible wiretap charges await celebrity doctor Hayden Kho over his sex videos posted online. PMA spokesman Bu Castro said in a radio interview the PMA has formed a committee to look into the claims against Hayden for conduct unbecoming of a doctor. "Binigayang pansin ito at bubuo ng committee para dito para tingnan… sana nga makipag-cooperate ang nandoon. Subali't titingnan namin ang info na aming makakalap hanggang sa exact facts. Minsan iba-ibang source ang aming kinukunan may sariling opinion. Kung siya mismo magbigay sa amin parte ng babae at parte ng lalaki," the PMA spokesman said in an interview on dzXL radio. Mr. Castro said the investigation would focus on whether Katrina Halili was a patient of Hayden; whether their relationship was private; and if Kho was indeed the one who distributed the video. Katrina had admitted having a short fling with Hayden and had apologized publicly for it. "Ang tanong namin dito, pasyente ba ni Hayden si Katrina Halili o ibang partner niya? ... Ito ba may private relationship? ... At pangatlo kung private at di pasyente, sya ba talaga nagkalat nito? Yan ang gusto namin malaman,"he said. He admitted the PMA was "forced" to come up with its own investigation after noticing the furor caused by the sex video scandal. The spokesman also noted reports that the video of Hayden with other women had begun circulating. He said that at the (PMA) convention at Shangri-La, the video was discussed, and that the participants were forced to act on the matter, he said. Wiretapping case? On Tuesday, Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. denounced Hayden for posting on the Web his sex video with actress-model Katrina Irene Pe Halili. Katrina lodged a complaint against Hayden before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Wednesday. Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said Hayden faces charges for violating the Anti-Wiretapping Law. "It shall also be unlawful for any person, be he a participant or not in the act or acts penalized in the next preceding sentence, to knowingly possess any tape record, wire record, disc record, or any other such record, or copies thereof, of any communication or spoken word secured either before or after the effective date of this Act in the manner prohibited by this law; or to replay the same for any other person or persons; or to communicate the contents thereof, either verbally or in writing, or to furnish transcriptions thereof, whether complete or partial, to any other person: Provided, That the use of such record or any copies thereof as evidence in any civil, criminal investigation or trial of offenses mentioned in Sec. 3 hereof, shall not be covered by this prohibition.," Section 1 of Republic Act 4200 states. The justice secretary, in a separate interview on dzXL, added he was waiting for Katrina to complete her statement before the NBI. "Babalik siya sa NBI ngayon para tapusin ang kanilang pagbigay ng statement. Pagkatapos it will be submitted to me, I will order an investigation," he said. Mounting criticisms For his part, PMA president Dr. Rey Melchor Santos said the medical community condemns the videos, which he said could tarnish the reputation of the medical profession. "Wala pong doktor na natutuwa sa nangyari. Nakasisira ito sa aming propesyon," the doctor said in an interview on dzBB radio on Thursday. No less than Malacañang joined lawmakers and government officials in denouncing Hayden's supposed clandestine manner of taking the videos, which are now making rounds in cyberspace. Dr. Santos added that while they would prefer Hayden's "victims" to lodge a complaint against the controversial doctor, the PMA could start its own investigation to determine whether Hayden is ethically liable. "Mayroon kaming Commission on Ethics na magco-conduct ng hearing. Mas maganda kung mayroong complainant…Pwedeng mag-conduct ang PMA, [on its own initiative]. We want to self regulate, hindi pwedeng i-allow ito (na) sisira sa dignidad ng medical profession," Dr. Santos said. Still, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) could penalize Kho and revoke his license if proven that he committed wrongdoing. In a separate dzBB interview on Thursday, PRC chairperson Nicolas Lapeña Jr. said the investigation on Hayden falls under ambit of the Board of Medical Examiners and the PMA and that the PRC would act on their recommendations. "Sila muna ang gagawa ng investigation at kung anuman ang resulta nun, saka lang i-aakyat sa PRC [The Board and the PMA would conduct the probe, whose results would be elevated to the PRC]," the chairperson said. -- Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV