THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines-Davao (Caap-Davao) has urged people who witnessed or experienced erring taxi drivers at the Davao International Airport (DIA) to report them immediately to authorities.
Rex Obcena, manager of Caap-Davao, revealed in a radio interview on GMA Super Radyo Davao on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, that despite their strict measures against erring taxi drivers, cases of misconduct still occur.
“Dili man gyud nato na 100 percent ma-assure kasi I have to be very honest na naa gihapon mga gahi ug ulo. Kini ang problema man gyud ani paggawas sa airport, didto gyud na mahitabo kanang mga unpleasant na mga aktibidades sa atoang mga taxi driver (We cannot assure 100 percent compliance; we have to be very honest that some drivers remain obstinate. The problem is that these unpleasant activities often occur outside the airport),” he said.
“These are very few, I think this feedback mechanism is very effective kay kato sama sa akoang gisulti they are really monitored dinhi pa lang sa airport and we made headway sa pag-implement niini (These incidents are very few. I believe this feedback mechanism is very effective because, as I mentioned, the drivers are closely monitored here at the airport, and we have made progress in implementing this system),” he continued.
Obcena noted that he rarely receives complaints from passengers about taxi drivers engaging in illegal practices, though their office continues to record cases of abusive drivers, especially those operating outside the airport. He added that their office is continuously collaborating with the Land Transportation Office (LTO), the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), the Public Safety and Security Office (PSSO), and the City Transport and Traffic Management Office (CTTMO) to combat illegal activities of taxi drivers.
He said that the DIA has implemented a feedback system as a solution to the issue of errant taxi drivers, and passenger complaints are now received through a centralized system rather than just the Davao City Reports.
The issue of taxi drivers not using their meters gained attention when Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa shared a passenger’s complaint on his Facebook account about a high fare demanded by a taxi driver in Davao City. The operator of the taxi publicly apologized to Dela Rosa for the actions of one of their drivers. RGP