DESPITE being ranked the second safest city in the Philippines for 2025, according to the World Travel Index (WTI), a few errant taxi drivers in Davao City still manage to tarnish its reputation.
In a social media post that went viral, a concerned individual revealed that their parents were scammed by a taxi driver who charged them ₱3,000 for a trip from Davao International Airport (DIA) to Ecoland Terminal.
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-Davao Region (LTFRB-Davao), in coordination with the local government, responded swiftly to this allegation.
On Monday, July 7, 2025, LTFRB-Davao identified the taxi driver accused of overcharging the passengers the previous week.
In an interview with GMA Super Radyo Davao, LTFRB-Davao Regional Director Nonito Llanos III said they had issued a show-cause order to the taxi operator and gave them three days to present the driver for investigation.
On Tuesday, July 8, the taxi driver involved appeared during a mediation held at the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board-Davao Region (LTFRB-Davao), kneeling and begging for forgiveness from his passenger-complainants
The driver apologized to the complainants, claiming he had no idea he received more than what he thought was ₱300.
According to the driver, he only realized after the passengers had disembarked that he actually received three ₱1,000 bills. However, the complainants insisted that they gave him ₱3,000, prompting the complainants' daughter to post the incident on social media.
Following the mediation, the LTFRB-Davao explained the situation to both parties, and they eventually settled the matter.
Llanos urged the public to immediately report similar incidents through hotline numbers posted by LGU-Davao personnel stationed at the taxi waiting area at DIA’s arrival gate.
According to reports, the passengers took the taxi from the drop-off point instead of the regular taxi lane. One of the passengers was a person with disability (PWD).
They were not issued a complaint stub, which would have helped in identifying the taxi unit more quickly.
Fortunately, CCTV footage from the area helped identify the vehicle. The affected passengers are now determined to file a formal complaint.
Two taxi drivers interviewed by SuperVoxPop Davao revealed that such overcharging schemes have been happening for some time, often depending on whether the passengers speak up.
“Daghan man na diha, mag-depende lang og i-reklamo sila sa pasahero ug dili, kay kung dili, so makalusot sila, ug maanad, pero’g maatlan pud og moreklamo ang pasahero, mamingaw na nga ilegal nga aktibidad nila, mobalik na pud mga usa ka bulan,” said a taxi driver who regularly works at DIA.
(There are many like that. It depends on whether passengers report them or not. If they don’t, the drivers get away with it and get used to doing it. But when someone does complain, the illegal activity dies down, though only for about a month.)
Another driver, who went by the alias Henry, said he has seen such practices persist over his ten years of driving.
“Dili na na bag-o diri sa airport, paatik-atik lang og hazard human nilang baba sa pasahero, sugaton dayon ang moagi nga pasahero paggawas sa arrival gate. Naa sab mang-recruit sa una, mosugat sa gate, tapos og layo gani, hanyagan og presyo sa pakyaw, ang luoy lang kay tigbason gyud ang pasahero og sobra kaayo ang presyo,” the driver revealed.
(This isn’t new at the airport. They pretend to put on hazard lights after dropping off a passenger, then quickly approach arriving ones at the gate. Some even recruit passengers right at the gate. If the destination is far, they offer a fixed rate. The sad part is, passengers are charged excessively.)
In response to these practices, stricter measures have now been implemented. Passengers are only allowed to board taxis from a designated area.
Personnel from LGU-Davao also play a vital role by issuing complaint stubs, helping authorities quickly identify taxi units in case of passenger complaints. JPC
