Popular Filipino doctor and HIV researcher Dr. Louie Gangcuangco, who was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a patient in Connecticut, USA last year, was granted special probation on Tuesday and will return to the Philippines soon.
According to the Connecticut Post, the 53-year-old victim went to the doctor in November 2016 to check if he was healthy enough for a tooth extraction.
Instead of checking his heart, Gangcuangco allegedly grabbed the patient’s testicles and pinched his nipples.
Gangcuangco was arrested in November 2016 but was out on bail later in the month. Local media reports did not identify the victim, but he told prosecutors that after he got the tooth extraction, Gangcuangco called the patient to check on him and invite him to a local bar.
A Dec. 19 report by the Connecticut Post quoted the victim saying he wasn’t opposed to probation but thought that Gangcuangco wasn’t sorry for what he did. “I’m just not convinced he is remorseful,” he said during the latest hearing.
“He had no permission, he shouldn’t have done it and I just hope he doesn’t do it again,” he added.
Gangcuangco is in the United States on a temporary visa granted for his residency at the Bridgeport Hospital in Connecticut. The Connecticut Post reported that Gangcuangco’s lawyer, Sean Barrett said his client’s visa had expired and that he will be going back to the Philippines.
But in a statement sent to Coconuts Manila, Gangcuangco said that his visa is still active. “I am voluntarily going back to Manila to help set-up our research collaboration there as a research liaison for the University of Hawaii.”
He also denied his patient’s allegations.
“In November 2016, I was maliciously accused by a male patient in his 50s that he was touched inappropriately during a physical exam. This is absolutely NOT true and I had pleaded NOT guilty to doing it,” he said.
Gangcuangco said that there were several other patients in the clinic at the time and that he had to perform a “full physical examination on the patient because he was due for a yearly check-up and had abnormal lab results that needed a groin exam.” He added, “he consented to the examination.”
According to Gangcuangco the patient “even scheduled a follow-up appointment with me after 3 months.” He added a week after that, “the patient started harassing me on the phone accusing me ‘why did you do that?’ I repeatedly denied his allegations. A few weeks later, I was shocked to see that I had a warrant of arrest.”
The Filipino doctor said that the patient allegedly had an “extensive history of violent crimes including multiple counts of murder, that I even fear for my own safety.”
Gangcuangco said, “My lawyer told me that the patient allegedly wanted hundreds of thousands of dollars to let the case go. I am innocent and I vowed to clear my name. We fought hard to get this case dismissed.”
He explained that his probation program allowed him to plead not guilty while allowing the case “to remain pending for another year.” He added, “If I am not re-arrested in the U.S. in the next 12 months, the case will be dismissed. An outright dismissal was what I hoped for, but I did not have much of a choice. ”
The program, he said, is called Accelerated Pretrial Rehabilitation. “I am not sure why it is called as such, but I am not in any sort of ‘rehabilitation’ whatsoever. The only conditions set for me are (1) not call/contact the patient and (2) not have any arrests in the U.S. for the next 12 months,” Gangcuangco said.
According to the website of Connecticut-based Advocates Law Firm, “if you successfully complete the AR program, the criminal charges against you would be dismissed and there would no criminal conviction on your record.”
Gangcuangco was fairly well-known in the Philippine medical community for his work in HIV research and writing the best-selling novel Orosa-Nakpil, Malate, while he was still in college.
While he did not speak much to the media after his arrest, Gangcuangco maintains his innocence. “Because of my silence, I had been painted to be the villain in this story; but in reality, I am the victim here.”
He said the accusations against him were untrue and caused him and his family “so much emotional damage… it hurt my family and the people whom I love. My mother called me and she was crying on the phone when she initially heard about what happened.”
“I will never do such thing to destroy everything I had worked hard for. When I became a doctor, I swore by the hippocratic oath. I became a doctor to help others and do no harm,” he said.
“I truly care about my patients, all my coworkers and supervisors can vouch for that. I will not let this false accusation stop me from doing good things. I will continue my work with my chin up. I will not allow evil triumph and stop me from promoting HIV awareness and helping those who are in need.”
(Editor’s note: We’ve updated the story with the statement provided by Gangcuangco clarifying that he was leaving the United States voluntarily. We apologize for the error.)
