Deceitfully Yours, Manong Taxi Drayber

It was Friday noon of June 29th, a cloudy day in Iloilo Airport. I picked up my fellow Geo-Advocate Wayne Manuel from the airport in Iloilo. It was his first time coming to Iloilo and I am glad to be at his service to have him greeted at the airport and send him to his hotel at the city. I was to finish several tasks that day, so we opted to take the easiest and fastest mode of public transportation between the airport and the city—the taxi.

We went to the “Metered Taxi” cabs section of the arrival area, where we rode a white taxi called Light Year Taxi with plate number FWY-334. I haven’t identified the driver’s name. He doesn’t have a visible ID…or the ID itself may be there but not an “attention grabber.”

I am aware that the current tariff rate (or airport fare) between Iloilo City Proper and the Airport for “metered taxis” is around P300 to P350. That’s legal, since it has been recognized by the Land Transportation Franchising Bureau (LTFRB), and even has it posted at the airport’s arrival area, so the people may know.

Recently however, I don’t see that LTFRB tarp at the airport.

As we whisked away, I told the taxi driver to have it metered, even if there is a tariff, as we need an official receipt for liquidation processes. We’ll still pay the tariff rate, yet we just need the OR.

Then, it turned ugly.

The driver insisted us to pay P500, which he claimed that “the fare came from CAAP itself!”

Yes, I am aware of the difference between the “coupon taxi” and “metered taxi,” and I am 100% sure we embarked at the “metered taxi” loading area which is on the southern end of the passenger terminal.

He presented a photocopy of the fare matrix which allegedly came from CAAP.

Yes indeed. The photocopy is from CAAP. The header reads like this:

“Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines

CAAP Act No____

Fare Matrix

Iloilo

Iloilo City – 500

Pavia – 400”

So on…

Page 1 of 3 | Next page