Belo, 2 surgeons cleared in butt lift case

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City prosecutor’s office recently dismissed multiple charges filed by a former patient against celebrity doctor Vicki Belo and two other cosmetic surgeons.

“Taking into account the time or period that has elapsed since the butt augmentation procedure and the manifestation of the alleged infection, there is no doubt as to whether the said procedure is indeed the proximate cause thereof,” Assistant Quezon City Prosecutors Romana Lindayag del Rosario said of the complaint filed by Josephine Norcio.

According to the resolution, while the test conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation yielded positive results for infection, the complainant failed to establish a direct link between the infection and the hydrogel injected into her buttocks.

The resolution dated last May 17 also stated that there was no sufficient proof presented that Belo was the one who performed the surgery on Norcio.

Norcio underwent hydrogel butt augmentation at the Belo clinic in December 2002 and a similar procedure in June 2005.

She filed charges of reckless imprudence resulting in serious physical injuries, estafa, tax evasion and false, deceptive and misleading advertising against Belo last year.

Belo’s co-respondents, Dr. Ronaldo Cayetano and Dr. Francis Decangchon, both no longer connected with the clinic, were also cleared of the charges.