A man claiming to be a doctor was arrested in Bacolod City yesterday for allegedly swindling a health officer in Negros Occidental and five Bacolod residents Tuesday and Wednesday.

Paulo Singaban Clarito, alias "Dr. Juan Miguel Sy", 32, single, of Abbey Road Sauyo, Novaliches, Quezon City was detained in the lock-up cell of Police Station 1 on theft charges, Case investigator PO3 Celito Dullan of Police Station 1 said.

Clarito was accused of taking the cellphones, P6,000 in cash and valuables of complainants Efren Ruiz Abalajon, 26, of Brgy. Cabug; Giovannie Jamero, 29, of Brgy. Tangub; Fernando Legada Nessia, 30, of Brgy. Pahanocoy, all of Bacolod City.

Abalajon and his companions saw Clarito in the act of selling one of the stolen cellphones at a Bacolod establishment at about 3 p.m. yesterday, and that led them to seek police help.

A health officer, who requested anonymity, told the DAILY STAR yesterday that Clarito had also swindled him of P15,000 in La Carlota City Tuesday.

THROUGH THE INTERNET

In an interview, Abalajon said it was through the Internet that he met Clarito who befriended him and identified himself as a "pediatric doctor" from New York who will conduct a medical mission in Negros Occidental. Abalajon said the "doctor" invited him to join the "medical mission" and asked him to bring some of his friends.

On Feb. 8, Abalajon said Clarito met him and his friends in Bacolod City and they decided to go to La Carlota City where the mission was to be conducted. He said they rode a red Toyota Vios allegedly owned by the suspect.

Jamero said they stayed in a pension house and Clarito informed them that they will receive P10,000 each for helping him in the two-day medical mission.

He said he and his companions did not doubt Clarito because he was a sweet-talker and seemed to be a decent man. He said the suspect paid their bills in the pension house and gave them P500 each as initial payment.

DOUBTS START

Jamero said he started to doubt Clarito after he discovered the P6,000 from his wallet missing on Monday. He said he told his friends about it but did not confront Clarito because he was hesitant at the time.

The next day, Jamero said he and his friends went to a resort in La Castellana where they stayed overnight. On Wednesday morning, he was shocked when he discovered his cellphone missing and that the suspect had left without their knowledge.

He said he and his friends were devastated when they discovered that their other valuables such as make-up kit, gowns for rent, two swimsuits, pants and T-shirts missing.

DOCTOR SWINDLED

On Feb. 13, a health officer told the DAILY STAR, that Clarito, who identified himself as "Dr. Sy" and as a guest of a city councilor, called her secretary informing her he will donate vaccines to the city.

She said Clarito arrived in her office and they talked about the vaccines. She said he told her that their storage room is incapable of storing the vaccines, which he claimed will be delivered by his "foreign friends" that day.

After their conversation, Clarito left her office, but returned in a few minutes, to ask her if she could help him to encash his personal check in a bank because he had no cash. In good faith, she stood as Clarito's guarantor to get P15,000 from a bank.

"WE WERE HYPNOTIZED"

The complainant said she believes Clarito had a "potion" and had hypnotized her and the five other complainants. At first, she said she could not believe that she would fall under the "spell" of the suspect, but she would have stopped the incident if she had been in her right mind. She said her two midwives who were usually talkative and bubbly were silent while the suspect was talking and explaining, which she found to be strange.

"I'm warning other doctors and those in the health profession to be suspicious of people who come and drop names in the guise of donating vaccines but who have different motives", she said.

Meanwhile, Clarito who is now detained in the lock-up cell of Police Station 1, said he admitted he took the cellphones and the doctor's money. He said he did it to finance his daily expenses while he was in Negros Occidental. He said he is from Manila and arrived in Bacolod two weeks ago. He said he borrowed the car from his aunt who is staying in Cebu City. He said he has no relatives in Bacolod City.*DMG

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