Fake doctor nabbed in Cebu City after botched facial enhancement

A single mother, who is accused of illegally practicing medicine, was arrested during an entrapment operation in a hotel in Cebu City on Friday, July 19, 2024. | NBI-7 Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – A single mother who was accused of being a fake doctor was arrested in an entrapment operation after a botched procedure at a hotel in Brgy. Lahug, Cebu City on Friday, July 19, 2024.

The accused was identified as 33-year-old Dimber Dela Cruz Celis. 

Celis is from Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao and a single mother of six children, with the eldest only 13 and the youngest, 4. 

On Friday, July 19, a woman sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) against an individual who allegedly administered a facial enhancement on her which went awry. 

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The victim, a woman from Cebu City, claimed that she met Celis through a Facebook post, where the latter advertised her services.

She then contacted Celis out of curiosity and was allegedly made to believe that the latter was a licensed physician in their exchange of messages.

The victim decided to avail of Celis’ services and the latter came to Cebu City. On April 15, the fake doctor reportedly injected under-eye fillers on the victim and another filler on her jawline. 

A few weeks after the procedure, however, the victim’s face began to swell horribly and her under-eye hardened and became infected. Her efforts to contact Celis again failed because she has allegedly already been blocked. 

After the victim consulted with two physicians regarding the swelling on her face, she was told that whatever was injected to her face must be removed through surgery. 

On July 17, the suspect reportedly replied to the victim and informed her that she was going to Cebu City to correct the procedure.

Celis allegedly wanted her to pay another P1,000 for the second operation that they scheduled on Friday at a hotel in Brgy. Lahug where the former was staying. 

At around 5:50 p.m. on Friday, NBI-7 operatives barged in and caught Celis in the act of injecting an unknown substance to the complainant. Another female client was also reportedly in the room waiting for her turn. 

Recovered from the possession of Celis were several vials of various medicines, some with foreign markings, used and un-used syringes, and surgical gloves.

NBI-7 agent Lawyer Wenceslao Galendez Jr. said that the complainant said that she payed P8,000 for the procedure. He also said that the fake doctor told her clients that she was a well-trained licensed physician who’s been doing this for a long time.

After her arrest, however, Celis denied fooling her clients and said that she informed them that she was only a certified esthetician.

In an interview with CDN Digital, Celis insisted that with her certificate, she was qualified to administer injections using tools that she bought herself from a private company. She relayed that she has been in this business for three years.

Under the law, only licensed physicians are legally allowed to administer any medical procedures.

Celis also expressed that she felt that it was unfair for her to be arrested when she had no bad intentions as she was only making a living to support her children.

She said that she sold her television to buy her plane tickets to come to Cebu again to help her client who suffered side effects.

According to Celis, she was surprised when NBI-7 agents came and took her away before she could tell her client that she would shoulder the expenses to correct the previous operation on her eyelids.

Celis relayed that the victim asked for another procedure to have her arms slimmed down which is what they were doing prior to the arrest.

The suspect was firm in her statement that she was innocent but expressed that she will face the charges against her.

Further investigation revealed that Celis was previously arrested in 2020 for the crime of Syndicated Estafa in Butuan as the leader and founder of Forex Rice Trading Group.  

In addition, she was charged for Illegal Practice of Medicine in Iloilo City back in 2023 after her clinic was raided by authorities.  However, she was released on bail. 

Galendez added that two more victims of the fake doctor came to the NBI-7 headquarters on Monday, July 22, to file a complaint against Celis. 

As of this writing, Celis is detained at the NBI-7’s custodial facility.

Moreover, authorities have filed charges of illegal practice of medicine and swindling, which are bailable, against Celis before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office.