NCRPO watching 5,000 dental clinics in Metro

MANILA, Philippines - The National Capital Region Police Office is monitoring at least 5,000 dental clinics in Metro Manila in a bid to catch the man who has raped at least 20 dentists in the metropolis and nearby provinces since August last year, NCRPO chief Director Alan Purisima said yesterday.

He ordered the NCRPO’s five district directors to prioritize the security of dentists to prevent the “pervert” from attacking again. “We should take this problem posed by the pervert seriously,” he said in his directive. “We should neutralize him to end his crimes once and for all.”

Purisima said the rapist has lain low for the past two weeks. The last time he was reported to have attacked a dentist was on July 1 in Metro Manila and in Pampanga several days later. He used to strike as frequently as twice a week, the NCRPO chief added.

He said while there are surveillance camera videos of the attacker, his face was hidden. “Several of the videos we got are those taken from above and we find it difficult to decipher his face,” Purisima said.

He is appealing to dentists to install closed-circuit television cameras in their clinics, making sure they are hidden and at “eye level” to capture the attacker’s face.

Purisima said the attacker has three missing teeth and asks for his upper right first molar to be filled. He added that the rapist has a tattoo on the inside of his right thigh and speaks Kapampangan.

He asked dentists to set up a system to alert the police station nearest their clinics without the knowledge of the attacker.