Hayden Kho’s physician license restored amid protests

Remember Hayden Kho, the controversial celebrity doctor, actor, model turned businessman?
Five years after losing his physician’s license after a sex video scandal involving some actresses and a beauty queen in 2009, the Professional Regulation Commission’s Board of Medicine restored his license apparently for “good behavior” after surrendering his license.
He, however, has to fulfill some professional requirements of the PRC Board of Medicine before he will practice as doctor again.
The ruling immediately triggered another controversy as it was assailed by various sectors, including the women groups like the Gabriela party.
Kho, 34, who was linked to celebrity doctor Vicki Belo, posted the decision of the PRC’s Board of Medicine headed by its chairman, Miguel Noche Jr., signed on July 7 while he was reportedly in London.

Kho’s lawyer, Lorna Kapunan, said Kho was glad with the decision and thanked those who remained faithful to him.
The PRC Board of Medicine revoked Kho’s license in November 2009, after he was found guilty of committing “immorality, dishonorable and unethical conduct” in connection with his video-recording of his intimate interactions with different women without their consent.
The videos, including one showing TV actress Katrina Halili, made the rounds online and were even sold in DVD format at the time and triggered an investigation by the Senate upon the instigation of actor-senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.
The circulation of the videos in May 2009 also triggered a highly publicized legal battle between Kho and Halili, who filed criminal charges against the doctor for allegedly violating Republic Act 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women and Their Children Act.
In August 2011, Kho filed a petition before the Court of Appeals (CA) to reverse the PRC’s decision regarding his medical license but the appellate court sustained the PRC decision in July 2012.
In August 2012, the CA also cleared Kho of criminal liabilities when it affirmed the ruling of a Pasig City court dismissing Halili’s case against the doctor.
Kho, in the years following the scandal, managed to continue a career as a public figure. He starred in the 2013 film drama “The Bride and the Lover” and co-hosted some shows. Currently, he runs perfume business.
Portion the decision stated: “Resultantly, we are constrained to construe complainant’s failure to oppose as desistance or waiver of her right to object to the petition. As the case stands, petitioner’s allegations regarding his qualifications and achievement remain unrebutted.”
“We see no cogent reason to further burden petitioner with the remnants of a reckless faux pas when his overall conduct shows a manifestly repentant heart. While others simply passively wait for the period revocation to lapse, petitioner positively and quickly acted to prove himself a worthy medical doctor to this Board and the Commission.”
“Wherefore, all premises considered and for reasons of equity and justice, the Board hereby grants petitioner’s petition for reinstatement. Dr. Hayden Kho is hereby reinstated to the practice as medical doctor.”
In a statement, Gabriela Rep. Luz Ilagan questioned the PRC for its decision to allow Kho to become a doctor again after his controversial involvement in sex video scandal.
Kho’s license as a doctor was suspended because of the case filed against him by sexy actress Katrina Halili, in the wake of his alleged role in recording and distributing of their sex videos.
“The PRC’s restoration of Kho’s license to practice medicine two years after the Court of Appeals gave finality to the decision to revoke his license is an injustice. The 2-year suspension of his license is too short and too light a penalty for the grave harm done to aggrieved parties victimized by his wrongdoing,” Ilagan said.
“We in Gabriela believe that the suspension of Kho’s license is not commensurate to the gravity and extent of the trauma that his acts inflicted on his victims. The scandal was posted, re-posted, recorded and viewed several times over which compounds the violation and the trauma that victims experience. The PRC should have taken this into consideration,” Ilagan added.
Ilagan stressed that the lack of appropriate laws make it difficult for victims of E-VAW or Electronic Violence Against Women and Children to attain justice.
The Gabriela is pushing for the amendments of the RA 9262 of the Anti-VAWC Law in order to criminalize electronic means of inflicting violence against women and children.
House Bill 6815 E-VAW covers “any acts or omissions that involve the use or exploitation of ICT which causes or likely to cause mental, emotional or psychological distress or suffering to the victim” that includes:
•Unauthorized recording, reproduction or distribution of video/s showing the victim’s private area or the victim’s naked or undergarment clad genitals, pubic area, buttocks or breasts;
•Uploading or sharing without the consent of the victim, any media that contains pictures, voice or video with lewd, indecent or sexual content or context;
•Harassing or threatening the victim;
•Stalking and;
•Using the victim’s picture, video, voice, name or any other aspect of the victim’s identity in any video game, phone application, program and the like, which puts or tends to put the victim in a bad light.”