5 doctors charged with falsifying papers to get certificate for stem cell group

PRC: Stem cell group submitted fake SEC registration. At a press conference in Manila on Monday, March 17, Professional Regulation Commission chairperson Teresita Manzala said the PRC endorsement documents allegedly submitted by the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine (PSSCM) to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) were fabricated and have her tampered signature. The SEC previously revoked the corporate registration of the PSSCM. Danny Pata

In a statement, Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) chair Teresita Manzala said she has asked the Professional Regulatory Board of Medicine (PRBOM) to initiate, investigate and file charges against doctors Leo Olarte, Bu Castro, Rey Melchor Santos, Oscar Tinio and Jose Asa Sabili before the PRCs legal division.

Olarte is the current president of the PMA.

The five doctors are all incorporators of the Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine (PSSCM,) which was able to obtain an SEC certificate despite previously being denied corporate registration. They were able to do this, said the statement, by submitting false PRC endorsements to the commission.

The PRBOM eventually got hold of a copy of the SEC Registration. On examination of the supposed PRC Endorsement, it was noted that the reference regulatory law used was the Philippine Veterinary Law of 2004, instead of Republic Act 2382, otherwise known as the Medical Act of 1959, and there appeared a signature of the PRC Chairperson, the PRC statement said.

Manzala said complaints were filed against the doctors for unprofessional, dishonorable and unethical conduct.

According to the statement, the incorporators later denied participation in obtaining the SEC registration, instead naming a Dr. Mike Aragon as the person who obtained the certification.

In a notarized affidavit submitted to the PRBOM, 'Dr. Mike Aragon' declared that he was the person authorized to register a corporation to be called 'Philippine Society for Stem Cell Medicine' and admitted paying 15,000 pesos to a trading company for them to file the necessary documents for incorporation of the PSSCM, the PRC statement said.

But Aragon claimed to have had no participation whatsoever in the actual processing of the SEC papers for incorporating the PSSCM. Patricia Denise Chiu/BM, GMA News

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5 doctors charged with falsifying papers to get certificate for stem cell group