Couple involved in car rental scam nabbed for illegal dental practice

PAMPANGA, Philippines – A married couple running away from an alleged car rental scam was arrested on August 2 for illegally practicing dentistry in their residence in Sablan, Benguet.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Baguio City apprehended Jun Jun Banal and wife, Catherine, during an entrapment operation for alleged violation of the Philippine Dental Act of 2007. They are currently detained in Tuba, Benguet.

The authorities seized assorted dental equipment from their three-storey residence. The local Philippine Dental Association chapter had previously suspected the couple of practicing dentistry without valid licenses.

The couple’s arrest was just for suspected illegal dental practice. It was only from further investigations by the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG) and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), that authorities learned the couple was involved in a large-scale car rental scam in Pampanga called the Param Car Rental Services.

The Banal couple had outstanding warrants of arrest as early as October 2023 for serious offenses that included large-scale swindling, carnapping, and estafa. The charges were filed against them before the Angeles City Regional Trial Court, as well as the Mabalacat City Municipal Trial Court.

Shady car rental business

Police Major Joseph Tayaban, investigation chief of the HPG Cordillera Administrative Region, said the couple conspired and collaborated to falsely represent Param Car Rental as a legitimate investment company. Tayaban said the couple were able to amass a total of P300 million from at least 149 individuals before the couple fled to Sablan to avoid capture.

“Suspects used and advertised a company name, Param Car Rental, [and conspired and mutually aided] one another in fraudulent representations and false manifestation that they were a legitimate investment company, offering 10% interest monthly. They collected more or less P300 million from several victims, then went into hiding in Sablan, Benguet to evade their complainants and the authorities,” Tayaban told Rappler on Friday, August 9.

Documents obtained by Rappler showed that Param Car Rental was registered under the Bureau of Internal Revenue in June 2018 and with the Department of Trade and Industry by November 2019. The Mabalacat City business permit and licensing office issued a business permit in 2021.

The Banals were also residents of Mabalacat City, Pampanga. They tried running to be barangay officials in Barangay Sapang Biabas in Mabalacat City. However, their warrants of arrest were issued a week before the barangay elections in October 2023.

In a separate interview posted on the HPG’s Facebook page, Jun Jun defended his company, asserting that their business is reputable in Pampanga. Jun Jun claimed that all investors saw returns on their investments and pointed to the presence of billboards along major thoroughfares such as in Angeles City and along North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) as evidence of their legitimate business operations.

“Sikat na sikat kami sa Pampanga. May nanira lang po talaga. Ganyan po ang nangyari. Lahat ng investors ko, kumita na po sila. Bumalik na ‘yung puhunan pero tumutubo pa po ang mga pera. Papaano masasabi na scam po kami? May billboard po kami dalawa. Isa sa Abacan, isa sa NLEX. Papaano magiging scam ‘yun, ang tagal na ng business namin? Ang dami naming business. Lahat ng investors namin, lahat ng sasakyan nila nabalik. Walang hindi nabalik,” said Jun Jun.

(We are very popular in Pampanga. Someone is just sabotaging us. That’s what happened. All my investors made money. Their investments have returned already and they are still earning. How could we be called a scam? We have two billboards. One in Abacan, one in NLEX. How can that be a scam? We have been in business for a long time. We have a lot of business. All of the cars of our investors have been returned. Not one has not been returned.)

One of the victims, Daniel Sumang, told Rappler in an interview on August 8 that he was initially enticed by the couple’s promise of high monthly returns ranging from 12% to 15%. However, he only received P200,000, a fraction of what was expected.

Sumang invested a total of P4.6 million under six franchise agreement contracts between June 2021 to May 2022. Records show that the Banal couple has an outstanding obligation of P11.078 million to Sumang, based on the documents obtained by Rappler. 

Sumang said he was persuaded when the Banal couple mentioned that a well-known corporation was among their business partners.

“Ikit mi ya itang post keng Facebook tapus minawus kami keta number na. Pepapuntalan da kami karela, keng opisina ra. Anyang akit mi keng opisina ketang Param Car Rental atin no man business permit keng munisipyo. Inalukan ra kami mumuna 12% anya pinayag kami. After a month atin yang i-aluk 15% anya pematulan mi la,” Sumang told Rappler in Kapampangan language.

(We saw their advertisement posted on Facebook and called their number. They asked us to visit their Param Car Rental office where we found they have a business permit from the municipal hall. Initially they offered us 12%, that’s why we agreed. After a month, they increased the offer to 15%.)

“Ikit ku karela anya me-engganyu ku keng offer da uling papakit da atin la business partner ibat airport, hotel, San Miguel (Corporation). Mika interesadu ku keng San Miguel uling balu ku maragul yang kumpanya ing San Miguel. Makanyan kaming milub,” he added.

(I was enticed by their offer because they also claimed to have business partners from the airport, hotels, and San Miguel Corporation. I was particularly interested in San Miguel because I know it is a major company. That is how we decided to sign up.)

Meanwhile, PAOCC affirmed its commitment to seek justice for any additional victims of the couple’s fraudulent activities, and continue to support the PNP in its efforts to suppress organized crime throughout the country. – Rappler.com