Gay group offers help for 'surgery scandal' victim
MARK MERUEÑAS, GMANews.TV
04/18/2008 | 05:48 PM
MANILA, Philippines - An advocacy group for homosexuals on Friday said it would be sending a gay psychologist over to Cebu province to help the victim cope with the aftermath of the "rectum surgery scandal."
Danton Remoto, co-founder of Ang Ladlad, an organization of lesbians, gays, bisexual, and transgenders, stressed the importance of sending a psychological expert who would not only offer free services but could also empathize with the victim.
"Tatawagan namin ang coordinator namin sa Cebu para maghanap ng psychologist o doctor na magvo-volunteer ng libre (We would be contacting our coordinator in Cebu to find a psychologist or doctor, who would offer free services to help the victim)," Remoto said in a radio interview Friday.
"Kumukuha din kami ng bading na doctor para mas maintindihan niya ang kalagayang psychological at saka sexual ng biktima (We are also getting a gay doctor, who could better understand the psychological and sexual condition of the patient)," he added.
The victim, who wished to be identified only as ‘Danny,’ said he woke up in the morning of January 3 this year feeling pain in his abdomen, caused by a canister of perfume inserted in his rectum.
He admitted himself at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City to have the canister removed, but later found a video clip of the said operation spreading all over the Internet via the video-sharing website YouTube.
Remoto, an English professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, said Danny, who vowed to lodge charges against the medical practitioners involved, was twice a victim in the whole incident.
"Personally, napaglaruan siya ng dalawang beses. Una, namick-up siya tapos nagkalasingan sila at pinasok nga sa kaniya iyon. Number two naman, itong mga nurses at doctor kung akala nila nakakatuwa ang ginawa nila (Personally, he was victimized twice. First, he picked up someone, who eventually stick something up his rectum. Then, these nurses and doctors thought what they did was funny)," Remoto said.
The renowned author also scored the medical practitioners embroiled in the issue for cultivating what he considered as a clear discrimination of homosexuals.
"Hindi naman nila iyon gagawin kung hindi siya bading. Ang tingin kasi nila lagi diyan, ‘Bading lang naman iyan o kaya dati babae lang naman iyan. Hindi naman iyan mayamang-mayaman o may kaya. Ang tingin nila, bading lang naman iyan o mahirap lang iyan, puwede na natin pag-tripan iyan at ilagay sa YouTube, which I think is wrong," Remoto said.
(They wouldn’t be doing it if he weren’t gay. They see these people as a homosexual or as a woman, and they think they can already make fun of them. And that they can already upload their videos on YouTube, which I think is wrong)
Remoto noted the "viral marketing" being caused by video-sharing sites like YouTube have snatched regular individuals of their privacy.
"Para iyang virus na kumakalat. Kapag nariyan na iyan, ang daming makakita. Puwedeng i-upload at makita sa buong mundo. So nawawala na ang privacy (It’s like a virus that spread. Once it uploaded on the Internet, the whole world can see it. So the privacy of a person gets lost)," he added, further stressing the importance of client-doctor confidentiality.
Investigation results
The investigating team formed by the VSMMC to conduct a probe on the matter found "probable cause" to lodge administrative charges against three doctors and one nurse.
As for the student nurses who were also seen in the video clip, the investigating body said it would be leaving the decision to sanction them to the discretion of the respective school administrators.
The Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Health said they would also be conducting their respective investigations.
In the video, loud cheering and shouting can be heard during the operation. Someone then shouted "Baby out!" when the canister was removed. One of the medical staff then opened the perfumed canister and then started spraying its contents.
Contrary to previous reports, the 2:54-minute video of the incident is still up on the Internet and available for viewing, with an “edited" version also starting to circulate.
The nursing student who allegedly posted the video clip on YouTube was allowed to graduate, but not after the student was required to complete additional hours of work at the said medical facility, an earlier radio report said.
The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) had said that if found violating their code of ethics, the doctors could be expelled from the association.
Aside from losing membership from the PMA, the doctors and nurses may either get suspended or have their licenses revoked, according to the Professional Regulation Commission.
Other organizations who voiced their condemnation of the act included the Commission on Human Rights and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Cebu City chapter. - GMANews.TV
Danton Remoto, co-founder of Ang Ladlad, an organization of lesbians, gays, bisexual, and transgenders, stressed the importance of sending a psychological expert who would not only offer free services but could also empathize with the victim.
"Tatawagan namin ang coordinator namin sa Cebu para maghanap ng psychologist o doctor na magvo-volunteer ng libre (We would be contacting our coordinator in Cebu to find a psychologist or doctor, who would offer free services to help the victim)," Remoto said in a radio interview Friday.
"Kumukuha din kami ng bading na doctor para mas maintindihan niya ang kalagayang psychological at saka sexual ng biktima (We are also getting a gay doctor, who could better understand the psychological and sexual condition of the patient)," he added.
The victim, who wished to be identified only as ‘Danny,’ said he woke up in the morning of January 3 this year feeling pain in his abdomen, caused by a canister of perfume inserted in his rectum.
He admitted himself at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City to have the canister removed, but later found a video clip of the said operation spreading all over the Internet via the video-sharing website YouTube.
Remoto, an English professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, said Danny, who vowed to lodge charges against the medical practitioners involved, was twice a victim in the whole incident.
"Personally, napaglaruan siya ng dalawang beses. Una, namick-up siya tapos nagkalasingan sila at pinasok nga sa kaniya iyon. Number two naman, itong mga nurses at doctor kung akala nila nakakatuwa ang ginawa nila (Personally, he was victimized twice. First, he picked up someone, who eventually stick something up his rectum. Then, these nurses and doctors thought what they did was funny)," Remoto said.
The renowned author also scored the medical practitioners embroiled in the issue for cultivating what he considered as a clear discrimination of homosexuals.
"Hindi naman nila iyon gagawin kung hindi siya bading. Ang tingin kasi nila lagi diyan, ‘Bading lang naman iyan o kaya dati babae lang naman iyan. Hindi naman iyan mayamang-mayaman o may kaya. Ang tingin nila, bading lang naman iyan o mahirap lang iyan, puwede na natin pag-tripan iyan at ilagay sa YouTube, which I think is wrong," Remoto said.
(They wouldn’t be doing it if he weren’t gay. They see these people as a homosexual or as a woman, and they think they can already make fun of them. And that they can already upload their videos on YouTube, which I think is wrong)
Remoto noted the "viral marketing" being caused by video-sharing sites like YouTube have snatched regular individuals of their privacy.
"Para iyang virus na kumakalat. Kapag nariyan na iyan, ang daming makakita. Puwedeng i-upload at makita sa buong mundo. So nawawala na ang privacy (It’s like a virus that spread. Once it uploaded on the Internet, the whole world can see it. So the privacy of a person gets lost)," he added, further stressing the importance of client-doctor confidentiality.
Investigation results
The investigating team formed by the VSMMC to conduct a probe on the matter found "probable cause" to lodge administrative charges against three doctors and one nurse.
As for the student nurses who were also seen in the video clip, the investigating body said it would be leaving the decision to sanction them to the discretion of the respective school administrators.
The Office of the Ombudsman and the Department of Health said they would also be conducting their respective investigations.
In the video, loud cheering and shouting can be heard during the operation. Someone then shouted "Baby out!" when the canister was removed. One of the medical staff then opened the perfumed canister and then started spraying its contents.
Contrary to previous reports, the 2:54-minute video of the incident is still up on the Internet and available for viewing, with an “edited" version also starting to circulate.
The nursing student who allegedly posted the video clip on YouTube was allowed to graduate, but not after the student was required to complete additional hours of work at the said medical facility, an earlier radio report said.
The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) had said that if found violating their code of ethics, the doctors could be expelled from the association.
Aside from losing membership from the PMA, the doctors and nurses may either get suspended or have their licenses revoked, according to the Professional Regulation Commission.
Other organizations who voiced their condemnation of the act included the Commission on Human Rights and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Cebu City chapter. - GMANews.TV
