EDGEDAVAO
VOL.5 ISSUE 42 • MAY 3, 2012
GAME CHANGERS
7
Bringing out the smile in people Text and Photos by Jims Vincent T. Capuno
T
O his patients, he is one of the best dentists in the city. To his fans, he is an extraordinary entertainer.
One wonders: Can someone be a dentist and a celebrity at the same time? Yes, if you happen to be Dr. Rovic Ire Cuasito, the host of Kapamilya Mas Winner Ka, an ABS-CBN Mindanao wide game show every Saturday. Although he loves working as a dentist, Rovic never dreamed of becoming one. “When I was still in high school, I really wanted to become an architect,” he says. But he also wanted to study at Ateneo de Davao University (ADDU), where his dream course was not offered. So, he opted to take his second choice – dentistry. “Actually, it was my mother who influenced me to consider dentistry as another option,” Rovic says. “She has an uncle and a friend who were dentists. Both were successful in their chosen careers.” It was a decision he never regretted. After attending his pre-dental course at ADDU, he went straight to Davao Medical School Foundation (DMSF), where he graduated in 2000 at the age of 23. “Right after I graduated, I worked as a contractual underboard government dentist at Toril for six months,” he says. “Then, I took a leave for three months to take the board exam. Then I went back for another six months. After my contract expired, I
became an associate dentist at Diaz Children’s Dental Clinic for a year then decided to open my own clinic.” Despite difficulties, he was able to raise the money needed to start his own practice. But it took him two years. “My persistence paid off,” he admits. Today, he has two clinics. Cool Smiles Dental Clinic opened in Toril in 2002. Three years later, he inaugurated his second branch at Tionko Arcade in Bajada Street . Both clinics are in Davao City . The good thing is that his wife fully supports him in all his endeavors. Ethel Viloria-Cuasito understands him well because she is also a dentist. He met her when both were dental students. “Her being mysterious,” he replies when asked what trait endeared him to her. “Among my dental classmates, she was the only one who was very silent. She won’t talk to me unlike my other classmates. I guess the challenge of knowing her lead me to a trap of falling in love with her.” His wife is a faculty member of DMSF and one of the clinical instructors of its College of Dentistry. “We often exchange notes,” Rovic says. “We discuss and study cases together. As such, it is easy for us to solve any dental problem that may arise. “We believe in the saying
that two heads are better than one,” he continues. “We even work and treatment segregation, which I think is advantageous in our practice because we focus on our own field of specialty.” Indeed, having a dentist as a wife is a big plus factor. “Our patients can have a choice; whether they want a male or female dentist. We are working at the same clinic most of the time and we are always together as a couple.” Among the two dentists, he is the celebrity. That’s one of the reasons why their patients trust them. “Our patients know we won’t fool them because I’m a television personality and I won’t put my reputation at risk.” Rovic was not yet a dentist when he embarked a career on television. He started young, he says. “Ever since I was a little boy, I loved watching TV shows and even dreamed of performing on TV,” he points out. He started his career as a performer – dancing basically – when he was a college student at ADDU. “I was your typical friendlytype guy. I had the opportunity of meeting students from other colleges who also loved dancing. At one time, we decided to form an all male dance group called Rhythmic Illusions.”
That was the beginning. “We dance on almost all of the university events. Then, we started to venture outside of the university. When ABS CBN was looking for a dance group to be part of Ang TV kids Davao , we auditioned and luckily was chosen,” Rovic recalls. It was only a matter of time that the door of TV hosting opened. “During the taping of Ang TV Kids, we often offered to be part of the staff. When the producer decided to look for new breed of male host to replace the spot that Alex Santos and Boyet Castillo vacated, I was immediately considered.” That was on December 5, 1996. After several months of hosting, the dentist who was born in Dumaguete became a regular host of Sabado Jam, a variety show. “All these happened while I was still studying dentistry,” he says. Indeed, the eldest son of Fermin and Rosie Cuasito has gone a long, long way. Despite being a celebrity, he still considers dentistry as his main profession. “Normally, I work from Mondays to Saturdays in our clinic in Bajada. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, I work as a school dentist. At our Toril Branch, I work there by appointment and only during Saturday morning,” he says, “I make sure that my secretary gives my patients the proper schedule. One advantage of working in your own clinic is you can
plan your time.” This brings us to the subject of time management. He explains, “I really watch my schedule. I have to know ahead of time my hosting invitations, TV tapings, clinic visitations and my time with my family. You compromise: know when to say yes or no and whether I’m available or not. It’s here where the advantage of having a dentist wife because she can cover some of my dental schedules if needed. TV taping schedules are normally set months before. In case if my schedules really get tangled, my patients readily understand the situation because in the first place they know they have celebrity dentist.” Speaking like a true dentist, Rovic claims that many Filipinos have dental problems because they lack knowledge on dental health. “If only they can understand the importance of prevention,” he laments. He simplifies on how a
person can prevent tooth cavity. “For our tooth to be invaded by caries, we need contributing factors like saliva and food. When these two mix, caries happen and before long a cavity is created which would lead to tooth decay – if left untreated.” In the meantime, Dr. Rovic Ire Cuasito loves every moment of his career right now. “I love being a dentist as much as I love being a performer and a TV personality.” His final word: Smile. “Smile is a positive expression of yourself,” he explains. “As a dentist, I am blessed with a skill that can make people smile better. As a performer and TV personality, I am blessed with a talent to inspire and make people smile. But to smile is actually dependent on one’s self. My life’s experiences were not always easy, but in times of difficulties I always chose to be positive. I usually look at it with a smile.”