Belo back, decries inclusion in sex video rap sheet

MANILA, Philippines - Celebrity cosmetic surgeon Vicki Belo and her son Quark and daughter Krystalle arrived yesterday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after spending 15 days in different parts of Europe taping scenes for her television program.

“I was informed of the case filed against me and I will confer with my lawyer (Adel Tamano) on that matter,” Belo told reporters when asked about the charges filed against her by actress Katrina Halili, whose sex video with Belo’s former boyfriend Dr. Hayden Kho Jr. was recently uploaded on the Internet and later illegally released in digital video discs (DVDs) sold by sidewalk vendors.

“Nakakasama ng loob dahil ako na ang pinagtaksilan, ako pa ang hinabla (It hurts, because I was the one betrayed and now I am the one charged),” Belo added.

Belo and her two kids went through the thermal scanner and went directly to immigration counters assisted by a police official for the stamping of their passports. They took the elevator to the departure area to evade the waiting media.

Halili had filed charges of violation of Republic Act 9262 (Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act) against Belo, businessman Eric Johnston Chua and Dr. Mark Herbert “Bistek” Rosario for allegedly uploading the sex video on the Internet. Chua and Rosario are friends of Kho.

Halili based her allegation on affidavits submitted by the three respondents to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and also on “admissions made in television interviews.”

She said that because of the release of the video, she lost numerous projects and endorsements.

In his affidavit, Chua admitted that he had been instructed by Belo to copy the sex videos of Kho from his laptop.

Chua claimed that he could not have been the one who uploaded the sex video because he had deleted it before the video of Halili and Kho came out on the Internet.

He further said that he did not have the master copy, and that he gave that sole copy in USB to Belo.

Halili’s counsel Raymund Palad said that it was Chua who implicated Belo because she gave instructions to copy and save the videos to a USB before deleting the videos in the laptop of Kho.

“So he has no copy at all and the master copy (hard drive) is in the hands of Belo,” said Palad.

The NBI earlier said it is not ruling out the possibility of including Belo as accessory to the complaint after Chua claimed in his affidavit that he gave the master copy (hard disc) of the sex videos to Belo.

Last Friday, Kho was recommended for indictment at the DOJ.

In a transmittal forwarded to Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño, the NBI recommended the filing of violation of Section 5 (h) and (i) of RA 9262 against Kho. NBI seeks tapes of interviews on sex video. The NBI had requested GMA Channel 7 to provide them with copies of the taped interviews regarding the affair of Kho and Belo as part of the investigation of the scandal. – With Sandy Araneta