The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Sunday urged the Department of Health to draft measures that will shield surgeons practicing cosmetic surgery, amid reports that criminals have been resorting to plastic surgery to hide their identities.

This was bared by Deputy Director for Intelligence Services Ruel Lasala, saying that some surgeons ended up finding themselves being “used” by criminals who seek their services.

“Surgeons, doctors or medical staff become “instruments” of these unscrupulous hardened criminals to alter their faces to hide their identities as part of effort to avoid being caught by law enforcers. These medical practitioners may not be aware that one of their patients is a criminal who will give different names to avoid being detected,” said Lasala.

Lasala cleared the surgeon who conducted plastic surgery on Alvin Flores, the notorious leader of the “Alvin Flores Armed Robbery Group,” tagged behind the Greenbelt 5 heist because he gave a different name when he hired his services to perform plastic surgery on him.

He said Dr. Dominador Pedracio could not be held liable since he was not aware that one of his patients was a wanted criminal at that time.

Pedracio of the Clinica Antipolo arrived at 2 p.m. Friday at the NBI - Office of the Deputy Director for Intelligence Services, after he was subpoenaed to shed light on the issue if he indeed conducted plastic surgery on Flores, who was slain in a shootout with NBI operatives in Cebu last Oct. 29.

After he was subjected to the clarificatory by the NBI, Pedracio told reporters that he was not aware that it was Alvin Flores who underwent plastic surgery at his clinic in Antipolo last Sept. 30. The doctor said Flores gave John Carlo Cruz Chavez as his name.

“We are asking the DoH to frame measures because surgeons and doctors become unsuspecting victim-instruments of these criminals,” said Lasala.

Pedracio expressed hope for the government agency to come up with measures to shield them. “We have to be shielded because in the first place we may be used again by these people who hired our services. And because we know nothing regarding their background, we accept them as our patients. Had we only knew of his (Flores) background, of course we would not agree to perform surgery on him,” he said.

“I asked him why he wanted to undergo the procedure. He told me he was a closet gay who wanted to be transformed to look feminine,” said Pedracio.

Pedracio said there were three surgeons who conducted a procedure on Flores. “We are a team of specialists. The patient asked for a nose lift, temporal uplift, eyelids. We want to satisfy the patient’s requirement. It was an 11-hour procedure,” he said.

Reports said Flores underwent surgery this year – in fact very recent – before he was killed in the Oct. 29 operation in Cebu.

His lawyer Virgilio Garcia said his client was not an accused and the reason he appeared at the NBI was to give clarificatory statement. “He would not be defending himself. Nothing to defend because he is not accused here,” one of his lawyers said.

Lasala earlier said the NBI was sure that it was Alvin Flores who was killed along with his three men as he brushed off speculation that the bureau got a wrong Alvin Flores who was killed along with his three men in an operation by NBI in Cebu last Oct. 29.