CIDG nabs ‘fake’ dentist in QC
A FAKE dentist in Metro Manila was arrested and jailed by agents of the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) during an entrapment operation in Quezon City this week, PNP-CIDG Director Brigadier General Ronald O. Lee said Saturday.
The suspect, with the alias “Doc Jojo,” was arrested in Franco Street in Barangay Bagbag in Novaliches, QC, around 1:30 p.m. last Tuesday by members of the CIDG National Capital Region Field Unit (NCRFU) under Col. Hansel M. Marantan, the PNP-CIDG director said.
According to Lee, he ordered the CIDG-NCRFU to go after the suspect following a complaint from the Philippine Dental Association (PDA) that one “Doc Jojo” is practicing illegal dentistry in his residence and is even offering dental home service in Bgy. Bagbag.
PDA President Dr. Cheryl del Rosario said that the suspect’s name does not appear in their official record of registered dentists in the country and thus is not allowed to practice dentistry.
Acting on the information, members of the CIDG-NCR, joined by a PDA representative, launched the entrapment operation.
Lee said that an undercover CIDG-NCR officer contacted the suspect and told him he will buy a P700 worth of cheap orthodontic false teeth which he was offering for sale.
The suspect was arrested after receiving the marked money from the agent and was already preparing to perform a dental procedure on the latter.
He failed to present any license from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) in full violation of Republic Act (RA) 9484 or “An Act to Regulate the Practice of Dentistry, Dental Hygiene, and Dental Technology in the Philippines.”
After being apprised of his constitutional rights, the suspect was locked-up at the CIDG-NCRFU jail in Camp Crame, facing charges of violation of RA 9484, otherwise known as the Philippine Dentistry Act of 2007.
Lee said that the suspect had been identified as a member of a group led by one “Jojo Hernaez” – engaged in illegal dentistry practice in many parts of the metropolis.
“We have received reports that the suspects have been making cheap orthodontic false teeth and braces since 2004, although they are not real dentists and have no license to operate,” the PNP-CIDG director said.
