Due to the a recent incident that went viral online.
On Saturday, June 21, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon went to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City.
The official proceeded to do a surprise inspection on the taxis serving passengers to and from the airport in a bid to crack down against illegal units and overcharging drivers.
Coincidentally, two airport taxis were identified as colorum while Secretary Dizon was there.
The DOTr is working closely with its attached agencies, the Land Transportation Office (LTO) at Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), in the campaign against these erring transport providers.
Dizon’s visit to NAIA comes a day after the LTO and LTFRB issued a show-cause order to the driver involved in an overcharging incident.
An individual named Maria Hansen Taheri filed a complaint against a taxi driver who asked for P5,500 for a ride from NAIA Terminal 1 to the nearby Terminal 2.
Additionally, this week, the transport chief himself also relieved five airport police involved in the alleged 60/40 extortion scheme against taxi drivers at the country’s main gateway.
On top of that, he also ordered the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) to investigate the matter.
The said scheme was revealed by a Taxihub driver involved in a previous overcharging incident.
He told that the airport police imposed rules where taxi drivers are forced to surrender a portion of their earnings—leading them to overcharge passengers at the airport to make up for the loss.
“According dun sa kwento ni Felix [Taxihub] ang nagpapatakbo ng raket dito ay yung airport police. Sila ang nagiimpose ng mahal na rate at dun sa mamahaling rate na yun kumukuha sila ng 40-percent kaya ang naghihirap yung mga pasahero natin,” Secretary Dizon said.
He added, “Pagka hindi ka sumunod at nagcharge ka ng mababa at hindi nagremit nung hinihingi nila, either huhulihin ka o hindi ka papapasukin ng airport.”
The transport official then ordered their removal from their post, saying, “Ipapasuspende na natin itong mga ito. Tapos immediate proceedings na ito for termination.”