Alarmed by the spate of robberies and molestation of women dentists in their clinics by a serial rapist, the Philippine Dental Association (PDA) will issue safety guidelines to all its members in 118 chapters nationwide.
PDA president Dr. Robert Tajonera told the Philippine Daily Inquirer the safety measures would particularly address the 98 percent of dentists who maintain private clinics and those who are new to the practice.
The guidelines, he said, were still being drafted after a meeting between PDA chapter presidents and officers from the National Capital Region Police Office last Friday. It is expected to be released as a memorandum to all PDA members by Tuesday.
“It is already alarming because in a span of four weeks, that includes the first week of June, there were 12 cases reported,” Tajonera told the Inquirer.
He was certain it was the same man preying on women dentists in their private clinics in Quezon City, Manila, Marikina City and Bulacan.
“When we convened, we discussed information on the cases where the chapter presidents observed, based on victim accounts, that the suspect used the same mode of operation,” he said.
Public awareness of the serial criminal, he added, was a good thing because more women dentists who were victimized were coming forward.
Tajonera said that although one way of preventing assaults was to refuse walk–in patients, this was not a practical option for PDA members, especially those who were new to the practice.
“For new dentists, that is how they build their clientele. They cannot take patients by appointment yet because they still have to establish their practice,” he said.
For his part, Manila Police District (MPD) director Chief Superintendent Roberto Rongavilla told the Inquirer the purpose of Friday’s meeting with the PDA was to map out strategies on preventing any more incidents.
Rongavilla agreed that they were dealing with a serial robber-rapist.
He said the victims recognized the suspect from security camera footage taken at one of the clinics. “The culprit is one person,” he said.
The MPD director said that the meeting with the PDA also gave the police a chance to share security tips with the dentists and encourage them to immediately report problems regarding police matters.