Ateneo graduate student “Mark” and the driver of the taxi he rode on Saturday, December 6 are embroiled in the latest social media controversy.
Mark uploaded a video of his argument with the taxi driver who got irritated after learning that his passenger only had a P500-bill for his fare. Since he didn’t have loose money for the student’s bill, Mark suggested that they go to a gasoline station. This angered the Red Angelo taxi driver since the situation could have been prevented if Mark informed him earlier.
At one point, the driver even said:
Dapat yung taxi driver di niyo gagawing tanga.
To his defense, Mark insisted that the taxi driver should have prepared the change.
Currently, Mark’s viral video has been featured in several blogs. As of writing, it has over 17,000 shares and more than 15,000 likes on Facebook.
In the video’s caption, Mark wrote a short narration of his side of the story.
I was late for my Final Exam in Ateneo because of this guy from RED ANGELO taxi. I’ve been calling the company but no one is answering.
He didn’t have change for my 500 so we had to go to the nearest gas station (petron jupiter) to break my 500. In Petron he took his fare and didn’t take me back to Ateneo, he left me there.
Kindly share, I want to make sure that the only thing he’ll be driving for the rest of his life is a pedicab. I want his license suspended.
Maraming Salamat Po!
Who is really at fault in this incident? Watch Mark’s controversial video and see for yourself.
Taxi Robberies in the Philippines
Recently, many robberies are occurring inside public taxis in the Philippines. Times are getting tough and so some dishonest taxi drivers employ different modus operandi to take advantage of their passengers.
Just last week, a taxi driver shot his passenger in the face after the latter refused to give him her personal belongings. April Taclay, a call centre employee, was on her way home to Mandaluyong when the cabbie pointed a gun at her at Canley Road, Barangay Ilog in Pasig City. Luckily, Taclay managed to jump off the cab after the shooting. She was immediately rushed to Rizal Medical Center by a motorist who saw her on the street.
Last month, a 31-year-old woman was shot in the arm by a taxi driver who also robbed her. The victim boarded the taxi at the corner of EDSA and Santolan but when they were already near Gate 1 of Camp Crame, the driver gun pointed at her and declared robbery. Since the victim resisted, the taxi driver shot her in the arm. Although the driver allowed the woman to get off the cab at MRT Ortigas station, he was able to steal her bag containing laptop, cellphone, and cash.