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Adel Tamano is official endorser of Vicki Belo Medical Group

Okey. So Attorney Adel Tamano, the former opposition spokesperson and now, one of the Nacionalista’s so-called ” Villar Honor Guards” is running for the Senate.  He announced that as soon as he crossed over from Erap’s camp to Villar’s.  And because he’s terribly so low in the surveys, understandable for him to do all sorts of gimmicks just to get noticed.

Like this one, agreeing to be the celebrity endorser of the Vicki Belo Group.

A big billboard stands like a sore thumb along EDSA specifically in Guadalupe. A huge photo of a smiling Adel Tamano catches your attention while you drive towards Cubao.

I have nothing against it. IN fact, that tagline which says ” Smart is the New Sexy” is just smart, not iconoclastic. Nothing spectacular, nothing out of the ordinary. We all know that term since it went vogue in the 80’s (remember the Yuppies?).

But if Adel thinks that his latest caper would propel him to the Senate pop charts, he’s wrong. Terribly wrong. In fact, he committed a political harakiri.

Adel suffers from what Prospero Pichay and Michael “Tol” Defensor and even Satur Ocampo also experience—widely known, yet widely mistrusted.

If you study what the SWS and the Pulse Asia survey says about him, it is not that people don’t know him. He has a high awareness rating. People know him.

The question is—will they support or even vote for him? That question can only be solved not by advertising or public relations, but by building an honest-to-goodness grassroots organization.

Some close to Tamano may argue that its a chicken-egg situation—which should come first—popularity or organization. In any day, I say, organization. You become popular when people talk about you. And its really about what people talk about you that’s important.

For example, what would people think about Adel now that he’s the official endorser of Belo? Some would probably think that Adel tolerates sex videos. Others would definitely think that Adel does not mind having fake boobs or plastic surgery. Or, probably, people might think that Adel does not practise his very own religion since he endorses a vanity.

That’s the problem with sons or daughters of former political heavyweights–they think that they can get everything as easy as what their fathers or mothers did.

Getting your face out there at EDSA is the fastest and the surest way to get noticed. That’s good if you’re a celebrity. But if you’re not and you are supposed to aspire for a serious political post, endorsing a very controversial vanity product is simply the most stupid thing to do.

If Adel thinks he can do a Lacson by posing for a billboard, he’s wrong. He is nowhere near the superstar status of Ping Lacson when he did those glutathione billboards along EDSA. Besides, Ping endorsed a non-controversial product; everybody loves to use glutathione. It’s different when you’re endorsing the Belo Medical Group. And I don’t want to tell Adel Tamano why.

And if Adel thinks it was a smart move, then, he definitely is not sexy at all.

One advice to Adel—political superstardom is earned not just served to you on a silver platter. For you to become like your father, you need to prove something.  A Harvard law degree is impressive if you are aspiring to become a Justice of the Supreme Court. In Philippine politics, it’s nothing.

What’s a good image for Adel? One advice—BE YOURSELF. You don’t need Belo. You just need to go out there, pump as many hands as possible, grease your starched barong tagalog and just give people what they want—an honest-to-goodness public servant who will not steal big when in power.

Dr. Vicki Belo, the alleged unlicensed doctor of beauty in the Philippines, is again, involved in another controversy which has the explosive nature of a nuclear bomb.

Belo probably thinks that she owns the world after surviving that sex scandal brouhaha. By the way, I am asking the NBI again—where’s the complaint against Belo who was identified by Katrina Halili as part of the group who distributed the nefarious Hayden Kho-Katrina Halili sex tapes?

Facebook user and activist-lawyer Argee Guevarra today welcomed the libel suit filed by the Belo Medical Group and Dr..Vicki Belo against him at the Office of the City Prosecutor in Taytay, Rizal, Philippines, for his status updates and shout-outs in his private Facebook account.

Guevarra, who acts as counsel for Belo victim Josefina Norcio over two botched butt augmentation procedures performed by the Belo Medical Group using the banned substance Hydrogel, was sued for libel over status update posts in his Facebook account where Guevarra called for a national patients’ boycott of Belo Clinics and for referring to Dr. Belo as “Reyna ng Kaplastikan, Reyna ng Kapalpakan” (Queen of False Pretenses, Queen of Incompetence).

Dr.Vicki Belo is a celebrity doctor previously involved in a video sex scandal.  She operates upscale plastic and cosmetic surgery clinics frequented by this impoverished nation’s elite and owns various offshore clinics and booking offices in Thailand, South Korea and the United States.  Dr. Belo, however, is not licensed by the Philippine Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (PAPRAS) to perform cosmetic surgery procedures.  She presides over a multi-million dollar empire consisting of plastic surgery clinics, beauty salons and manufactures health and beauty products.

The suit is the first Facebook libel case in the world where the complainant does not even belong to the defendant’s network of Facebook friends.  A previous Facebook libel case was,  however, filed in UK where businessman Mathew Firsht sued a former school friend over a false personal profile on the site that included private information about him and untrue allegations about his sexual orientation.

The libel suit  against Guevarra was commenced vicariously through Dr. Belo’s general  manager who managed to add herself to Guevarra’s network of 1,472 friends.

Guevarra, a political activist previously jailed by the Arroyo regime for his participation in two failed uprisings, similarly faced a Php 300 million ($6 million) libel suit from former First Lady Imelda Marcos 13 years ago after Guevarra wrote in his erstwhile column in BusinessWorld, a series of commentaries accusing the former strongman’s wife of widespread plunder during the reign of the Marcos dictatorship.

The libel suit was eventually dismissed.

Guevarra welcomes the libel suit as an opportunity to invite public attention to the hazards and dangers of cosmetic surgery clinics performing surgeries with untrained, unskilled, incompetent and unlicensed medical practitioners and advertising such services as safe and hopes to ring alarm bells at the Health Department against the proliferation of such colorum clinics which is destroying the country’s medical tourism industry and earning for the country the moniker of being Asia’s No. 1 Chop Shop. More than this, Guevarra seeks to defend himself all the way to the Supreme Court in order to elicit jurisprudence regarding internet-based libels.

Guevarra reacted to the libel suit in his Facebook status update which states:

“A wannabe mortician masquerading as a cosmetic surgeon will never be able to stitch up the difference between formalin or botox, between free speech or slander when suing for libel a Facebook user for his shout outs and status updates. Such surgical stupidity results in mistaking Facebook for Erasebook”.

For his part, Atty.Guevarra’s counsel, Atty. J.V. Bautista, a U.P. classmate of Dr. Belo, laughed off the libel suit and pointed out its material defects –

“The libel case filed by Dr. Belo needs a serious facelift before it could even be dignified in any court of law.  The pleading itself reads and looks like a failed surgery on the laws of libel …

First, the venue is improperly laid. It should not have been filed before the Taytay Prosecutor Office  and instead filed before Makati City Prosecutor’s Office which is the place of the offended party (Dr. Belo) and where Facebook, Philippines holds Office.  The filing of the case in Taytay may have sinister motives.  What is so special about filing the case in Taytay?

Second, the libelous statements were printed and published by Dr. Belo’s own general manager and upon the authority given her by Dr. Belo’s estranged husband and Belo Medical Group Corporate Secretary Atom Henares, which should make said general manager a co-respondent of Atty. Guevarra.  In effect, Dr. Belo should be suing her own general manager;

Third, the alleged defamatory statements are privileged communication and are per se, not libelous.  Said statements of Atty.Guevarra fall under constitutionally protected exercise of free speech;

Finally, the analogous libel case of Alfonso Yuchengco/Pacific Plans vs. Philip Piccio, arising from a blog written  by Mr. Piccio against Pacific Plans was ordered dismissed by the Department of Justice which ruled that there is no such thing as internet libel since Art. 355 of the Revised Penal Code strictly provides that libel can only be committed  by means set forth therein (writing, printing, radio etc.) and does not include the internet.  Furthermore, criminal statutes are construed strictly in favor of the accused.”

       The preliminary investigation is set on Sept. 24, 2009 at the Taytay Hall of Justice, Taytay, Rizal before Asst. City Prosecutor Cheloy Garrafil.

Vicki Belo needs a legal facelift and fast. And probably Vicki Belo should fire her General Manager. Probably they thought that the public already forgot about the sex scandal involving her. The sex scandal is still very fresh.

Atty. Argee Guevarra was charged with libel by Dr. Vicki Belo, remember of the Hayden Kho sex tapes fame? Argee reportedly wrote disparaging remarks against Dr. Belo over Facebook, a popular social networking site.

The suit, filed by no less than the General Manager of the Belo Medical Group (which, by the way this medical group is involved in at least three boltched surgeries, one of which is their butt operation to one of their clients, Ms. Josie Norcio) says that Argee committed libel last August 3, 2009.

Libel, if Ms. Agnes Ballesteros and the Belo Group’s battery of lawyers do not know, is an act committed when a person intentionally attributed or imputed a crime against another which caused serious damage to image and reputation. While I’m reading the complaint, I found nothing libelous there. Argee was simply reacting to a (1) rally staged by some Belo Medical Group victims and (2) sharing information that some of his relatives got bad service from the Group. (Read the complaint over at pinoybuzz.blogspot.com).

Now, when Argee postulated that maybe the “payola” machinery of the Belo Group worked when no TV coverage or print article appeared after the rally, is it still libelous? No. It was a view shared to many. Argee did not categorically state that there was indeed payola given by the Belo Group to journalists who covered the rally.

Anyway, if Argee was merely stating facts which already happened, what is so libelous about that? Besides, how can you charge libel against a Facebook user when there is no law in the Revised Penal Code (RPC) nor special laws prohibiting somebody from commenting negatively against anybody over at Facebook, an online social networking site? If there is no single provision in the RPC penalizing or criminalizing Facebook remarks, then, where’s libel?

From sex to drugs—that’s how this Dr. Hayden Kho sex scandal probe is going. The Senate Committee on Women and Children’s Rights chaired by Senator Jamby Madrigal conducted the hearing allegedly to establish what really happened and why the sex tapes of Kho having sex with different women surfaced in the internet.

 Madrigal said that a big-time drug dealer was behind the “leakage” of these sex tapes, which was reportedly sold for two million pesos by Kho’s bosom buddies, Eric Chua and Victor “Bistek” Rosario. Kho admitted that these two guys were the ones who got the video clips from his laptop.

Atty. Adel Tamano, Vicki Belo’s lawyer, also admitted that it was Belo who allowed Chua and Rosario to access the laptop austensibly to “erase” those tapes. What happened was instead of erasing it completely from the computer’s memory, either one or both of them reportedly sold those tapes to a big-time drug dealer.

Here’s the true story behind the Dr. Hayden Kho sex videos. There are about forty of them, most are now literally scattered all over the Internet while some are being kept allegedly by Vicki Belo. The recent “installment” are sex videos taken by Kho with Vicki Bello and another, with Ruffa Mae Quinto, a local sexpot.

Reportedly, these videos were stored in the laptop of Dr. Hayden Kho, who now faces a string of cases filed by Katrina Halili, her ex girlfriend. What prompted some, particularly Kho’s closest friends, to distribute those videos online?

Here’s the true story.

Sometime last year, Dr. Kho and two of his closest friends, a certain Bistek and another one, a Eric Johnson Chua, got into a vicious fight. These friends, who normally stay in the condo unit by Kho, shares a lot of intimate moments together. Like other bosom buddies, Kho allows these men to view his most intimate times with his girlfriend victims. Kho revealed to his friends that he made videos of his girlfriends and their “sexual escapades, the latest of course, the Halili sex tapes.

Anyway, it was reported that Bistek, one of Kho’s friends, is slated to get married to a rich and beautiful girl named Princess. One night, however, Bistek did the unthinkable—he had sex with another woman. Princess got wind of this and went to Kho for counselling.

Instead of giving the girl some comfort and peace of mind, Kho reportedly misled the girl and had sex with her. Bistek learned of this treachery and vowed to take revenge.

Late last year when Kho went on drug rehab, Bistek and Chua went to Vicki Belo and asked her if they can get the laptop of Kho inside the condo unit. Vicki agreed. After one and half hours, the two returned the laptop and gave Vicki a copy of a hard disc. Unknown to her, the two already produced numerous copies of Kho’s sex tapes.

Chua reportedly uploaded some online and tried to sell the salacious sex tapes to the underground illegal DVD pirates for 2 million pesos. The pirates did not bite since the normal going rate for such videos is just 50,000 pesos.

The first salvo of these sex tapes was aired on FleshAsiadaily and quickly spread across the internet.  Senator Revilla got wind of this and immediately took action.

What is totally contemptuous about this is the attempt by Dr. Hayden Kho to present himself as a victim of these scandals. Kapal!

Dr. Kho is a drug dependent and a confirmed sex maniac, according to Revilla. He should be jailed. And government should make sure that Dr. Kho spends some time in jail and not hide behind such claims as neurotism or psychosis to escape detention.

Thanks for my readers for giving me a headache. I got so many email responses and here are the results.

Top 20

20. Anna Dizon. This commercial model is one of the hottest properties in Japan right now. She’s a Filipina, with French and Japanese blood. She was involved in a controversy late last year.

19. Angelica Panganiban. Angelic face with a body that’s sure to die for. And, what’s best—she has brains. She’s now the girlfriend of another actor so you guys out there, check na lang others in this list.

18. Atty. Katrina Legarda. Well, I think those members of UP Law Batch 80 were the ones who voted for Atty. Katrina Legarda and for some good reasons. She’s lovely. She’s very intelligent. And, what’s very nice about her, she pursues women’s and human rights issues. Sexy? You bet!

17. Bea Alonso. Betty La Fea in the list? Of course! Beauty, brains and having that sophisticated bearing–those values define Bea Alonso. One thing though, she needs to be very cautious in choosing whom to be with. Bea is a beautiful young lady. She’s also strong mentally and emotionally.

16. Lea Salonga. What can I say? Despite being a mom to an intelligent kid, Lea retained the fine qualities that endeared her to the hearts of the Filipino since she first started singing at That’s Entertainment.

15. Diana Zubiri. The perennial hit lister since she first started in showbiz. For those who don’t know, Diana is not just your average bombshell. No. Her rags-to-riches story is an inspiration.

14. Loren Legarda. Notice those checkbones? That sparkling smile? Those pinkish skin? That hair, always neatly combed and styled even if she’s in the heat of the campaign and pumping those calloused hands? She’s intelligent (magna cum laude in UP and summa cum laude in the National Defense College). Her heart is in the right place, but unfortunately, many people do not favor another female president after this disastrous reign by the pretender.

13. Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Surprising? Yes! Some sender said that Mrs. Arroyo is actually sexy. She always smiles. Her eyes sparkle (maybe because she stands to inherit billions after 2010? Just joking!) and she wears fashionable clothes that shows power and elegance. Power is sexy? You bet!

12. Pia Hontiveros. Strictly politics? Nah. Pia has another show which tackles shopping. Pia has six kids already, a lovely and dutiful wife to a member of the AFP. Pia is also a highly respected journalist.

11. Pinky Webb. Many Pinoys pray that Pia decides muna to stay single. She’s engaged with Edu Manzano and there are rumours that they’ll tying the knot very soon. Somebody please go to the church and say ” we oppose!”. Hahaha. Just joking.

10. Rhea Santos. Host of GMA channel 7 shows, a highly respected journalist of such fine calibre and a loving wife to her husband.

9. Gretchen Malalad. Now, the debate has been settled. Gretchen Malalad is one fine lady. She has this very natural look and her eyes are kinda lovely. But, don’t get misled. Grethen is both a certified beauty queen and a martial artist who’ll make mince meat out of anybody who gets in her way. Remember Paul Alvarez? 

8. Wendy Puyat. Socialite. Gracious host. Sexy in a very distinct way. Friendly. Highly rated.

7. Sarah Geronimo. Sarah is an enigma. Some say she’s not quite lovely and others even say, her beauty is what they call “barriotic.” Others say, she has magnetic personality.One thing for sure—Sarah has this “x” factor, the one lacking to other Filipina beauties out there. She sings beautifully. She wears clothes in a kinda sexy way but is not lewd nor loud. Great that she’s in the list.

6. Kris Aquino. She’s already a mother but Kris Aquino remains one of the hottest and the sexiest Pinays around. She has a fine political and wealthy pedigree. In the first weeks, Kris was tops. But, as they say, you’re only good the last time you appeared.

5. Gretchen Fullido. She’s the prime example of a sexy and beautiful Pinay. Just look at her. Many people say she’s yummy. Many say, she’s not. But, hey, I don’t want to be prude and say that she’s not hot. She is. Best of all, she has brains which a lot of people out there don’t have. And guts. Tons of them.

4. Katrina Halili. What can I say except that it’s not only Dr. Hayden Kho who considers Katrina as not just hot and sexy but a lovely and cuddly Pinay.

3. Vicki Belo. This fiftish (or is it fortyish) lady remains very delectable especially to young, and hot-blooded Filipino males. She has been very controversial lately but managed to stay fresh, beautiful and sexy. A fine Filipina.

2. Krista Ranillo. The daughter of Matt Ranillo, 80’s matinee idol, is the talk of the town. This 21 year old Atenean is not just beauty—she’s also brains. She’s into a lot of showbiz activities now, doing a film and making all those shows. She’s the March cover of MAXIM Philippines. She’s not just immaculately beautiful—she’s also very, very photogenic. I expect a lot from her. What’s her secret? Maybe going to that lifestyle salon in Libis. Krizalis beauty salon, is that it, huh, Krista?

1. Marian Rivera. Wow, what can I say, except, scorchingly, erotically, intelligently, sexy. Look for that very controversial nipple slip ala Janet Jackson. I think my Ding Gagelonia has a copy.

Dr. Vicki Belo and Dr. Hayden Kho are now seen together….again. After that highly controversial alleged sex tape involving the stud with another Belo creation (Katrina Halili), they are back in each other’s arms.

Belo must have realized that it’s better to accept reality as it is, rather than having those hopes up that a fifty something woman like her would ever have a loyal boyfriend.

The question is rather naughty—are they back together due to love or….business?

It’s known to everyone that they’re essentially business partners. They run the Belo Center. And it’s now a multi-million peso enterprise.

Did they decide to go back together again for the money or for the honey?

By the way, I saw the show of Katrina shot on Dakak Beach resort. Dakak is owned by my friend, Bullet Jalosjos, who happens to be Katrina’s ex.

Bullet Jalosjos, my friends, once romanced Katrina. After a few months, they split and we heard Bullet dating and even nearly married another celebrity, Nancy Castiglioni.

Question—is Bullet and Katrina now back to each other’s arms? We’ll see.

Vicki, no wrinkles?

Dr. Vicki Belo is said to be in the States. She’s on a Sabbatical. After that disastrous Hayden-Halili episode and that equally damaging rift with Boy Abunda and Ruffa Gutierrez, Vicki Belo’s world is starting to crumble.

Probably, Vicki thought that no medical procedure can ever repair these wrinkles in her relationships with other people.  And the only way left is for her to just…go. Go somewhere, anywhere, away from the noise, the hustle and jostle, and the bustfuls of frustrations.

It pays to be beautiful, or so they say. In Vicki’s case, the sad part of being a beautymaker is being always in the limelight and being always the target of intrigues and malicious gossips.

As they say, sticky substances always attract flies.

All of these though are nothing compared with the civil and criminal suit filed by a former Belo patient who claims to have been made a wreck by the supposed beautymaker.

The woman, a physician herself, filed a case before the Makati courts, claiming that Belo and another doctor at the Vicki Belo Clinic scarred her face for life. She’s asking for damages and reparations. She thought that Belo would erase those wrinkles; instead, all she got were scars.

Maybe Belo and her associate did the procedure after she learned about Hayden’s indiscretions. Maybe she thought that it’s best not to ever create another beautiful creation.

Probably, that’s the true reason why she left for the States. In all likelihood though, Belo must face the music, wrinkled or not.