A single photo was all it took for Carla Abellana to send showbiz fans on an eager round of online sleuthing.

Her engagement post —fittingly dropped at the start of the Christmas month, when sentiment runs high— featured nothing more than a hand, a ring, and a still-faceless fiance.

With the public left to connect the dots on their own, one name has consistently surfaced: Dr. Reginald Santos.

He is private and nearly invisible online, yet somehow, eagle-eyed netizens have dug information about him.

This is what can be pieced together about his life.

EARLY LIFE

The doctor of the hour is Reginald Kristian Carlos Santos, though he is called Reg by those close to him—and even on his own social-media handles.

He was born in 1986, making him 39 years old this year.

While he maintains a tightly private online presence, publicly visible details suggest he hails from Quezon City, based on the residence indicated on his locked Facebook profile.

Beyond this, very little is known about his family background, as he appears to keep personal matters fully offline.

EDUCATION

Despite keeping most of his Facebook profile locked, the information regarding Santos’s educational background remains visible to the public.

It shows that Santos attended Operation Brotherhood Montessori Center—commonly referred to as OB Montessori—in Greenhills.

From there, he completed his basic education and graduated with the high school batch of 2004.

After finishing high school, he eventually entered Far Eastern University–Dr. Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation (FEU-NRMF) in Quezon City, where he pursued his medical studies.

According to the information published on his SeriousMD profile, he completed his Doctor of Medicine degree in 2012.

There is no verified documentation online specifying which undergraduate program Santos took before entering medical school, nor which school he attended.

CAREER

Santos passed the Physician Licensure Examination in August 2013 and began practicing soon after, which aligns with the “12 years of experience” reflected on his SeriousMD page.

His professional trajectory appears to be tied to Diliman Doctors Hospital (DDH) in Quezon City, where he moved through various leadership roles.

SeriousMD lists him as the head of DDH’s Emergency Department—a position that reflects his early years in hospital service, as verified by later accounts.

However, DDH’s own Facebook page offers a fuller glimpse of his growth within the institution.

A post from October 2022 identified Santos as the hospital’s assistant administrative officer, marking the start of his transition into administrative leadership at Diliman Doctors Hospital.

He later took on parallel roles in both clinical governance and hospital operations when he became the head of Patient Safety while simultaneously remaining assistant administrative officer.

The earliest public record of him holding both positions simultaneously appears in a September 2024 post, in which DDH commemorated World Patient Safety Day.

His career continued to progress that year.

In November 2024, Santos joined the DDH Management Committee as the hospital’s chief medical officer.

This key executive position oversees medical standards, healthcare quality, and institutional policies.

He continues to hold this role to date.

PASSION FOR THE ARTS

When he steps out of his scrubs, Santos returns to his artistic side.

His Instagram bio contains only one link—a tag leading to Badass Art Gallery, a contemporary art space dedicated to championing artists and bringing art closer to a wider audience.

On the gallery’s website, Santos is referred to as one of “The Badasses Behind the Gallery.”

His profile reads (published as is): “Dr. Reginald Santos is a medical director with a secret passion for the arts.

“He wanted to go to art school but decided to be a good son and fulfill his parents’ hopes for him to become a doctor — and he did good. But the dream has never faded despite his successes in the medical field.

“This gallery is his personal journey, the pursuit of a dream deferred.”

Badass Art Gallery itself was founded by a trio of friends: Santos, architect AJ Pelayre, and professional artist-designer-photographer Tamerlane Urao.

The website describes them as “a motley crew of professionals, art lovers, and badass big-bike riders,” bonding over creative conversations that eventually crystalized into their art space.

PERSONAL LIFE

Dr. Reginald Santos’s rumored romance with Carla Abellana

Santos has recently been linked romantically to Kapuso actress Carla Abellana, especially as rumors of their alleged engagement spread across social media and entertainment circles.

Their connection, however, isn’t new.

On August 4, 2022, Cristy Fermin’s Abante column recounted her visit to Diliman Doctors Hospital, where she briefly met Santos.

There, she learned that he and Carla were former classmates at OB Montessori Greenhills.

According to the write-up, the pair reportedly dated for more than two years during their youth before eventually going their separate ways, though they remained friends.

Carla’s presence at DDH events further fueled public curiosity.

During the grand opening of DDH Center for Wellness on October 18, 2023, the actress was among the invited guests.

Nearly two years later, in July 2025, Carla soft-launched a new romance.

On July 18, 2025, she posted a candlelit dinner photo on Instagram, featuring a mystery man whose face was partially visible as he looked at an orange menu booklet.

The post quickly ignited speculation, marking the first time Carla hinted at a new relationship following her separation from ex-husband Tom Rodriguez.

On September 25, 2025, Carla addressed the rumors on Fast Talk with Boy Abunda.

When asked whether the man she posted was courting her, she replied: “It was a date. Yes, I’ve been actually seeing him.

“Kita niyo naman nakakadalawang post na po ako, di ba? Parang may pagka-soft launch po. Pero matagal ko na po iyan siyang kilala.”

She added that she has been open to dating and is simply enjoying where things are going.

Though she did not confirm his identity, the timeline, sightings, and resurfaced details of their shared past have led many to believe that the man in question is Dr. Reginald Santos.

Carla’s latest post on December 1, 2025, thrust the doctor’s name back into entertainment chatter.

In it, she shared a photo of her hand wearing an engagement ring while holding her fiancé’s hand.

It was the first visual cue she shared about the proposal, though she still opted not to show the face of the man with her.

Her caption opened with three white heart emojis and continued with a passage of hope and divine timing from Jeremiah 29:11.

“For I know the plans I have for you… plans to give you a hope and a future.”