Foreign Journalist Complained About Extortionist Cab Dribers in Cebu

[MADAGASCAR]

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Bad cabbies
DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco
The Philippine Star 08/18/2006

A number of foreign journalists who covered an international conference in Cebu last week complained about extortionist cab drivers in our country’s principal tourist metro area. One journalist representing a major newspaper in Shanghai who happens to be a member of our Tuesday Club, told us that the drivers of the taxis he and his associates had to take during their visit all insisted on negotiating the cab fare and not using the meter.

It was such, he said, that even a distance of a few blocks was costing them P300. It seems, he observed, that once the Cebu cab drivers noticed that they were foreigners, the extortionist impulses went into action. But because he had been living in Manila for a while, he tried to argue… to no avail.

With the Asean summit conference due to be hosted by Cebu this year, perhaps LTFRB and Cebu local officials should meet with the cab drivers and instill some fear of the law in them. For a metro area that aspires to be a major tourist destination, what happened to foreign journalists last week is bad news for Cebu. Expect those journalists to write about their sad experiences… and put to waste the millions of pesos we spend for tourism promotion.

Most major cities that seek to attract tourists make an effort of educating and disciplining their cab drivers. In Shanghai, they are so disciplined and honest that when a Pinoy violinist forgot his priceless instrument, the police assured him that his violin will be waiting for him at his hotel. It was.

Cebu should be able to make that assurance too. If our principal tourist destination can’t have honest cab drivers, let’s forget ever being able to exploit the full potential of our tourism industry.

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200608180712.htm

[godCode]

sus dapat ila tong gi lista ang plate number atong taxi... ahak ulaw kaayo ni!

[weedmeister2]

tsk, tsk, tsk... this should really be scrutinized...these guys will destroy everyone else's efforts...

[kamikaze426]

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb....hygiene..html

The government will conduct seminars for taxi drivers to make sure they are friendly to the public and to foreign visitors and delegates to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in December.

Department of Tourism (DOT) Undersecretary Phineas Alburo said that informing the taxi drivers about vital information such as tourist destinations, hotlines, religious and cultural sensitivities and road safety, personal hygiene and work values is not only meant for the duration of the summit but will help the province’s tourism.

The DOT is the vice chair of the Asean summit national organizing committee and head of the land transportation subcommittee of the Cebu organizing committee.

The program has an initial budget of P700,000. An estimated 3,500 taxi drivers and 500 rent-a-car drivers are expected to undergo the training, at 100 participants per day.

Training

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) 7 is being tapped to handle the training, with four hours per session for every 50 participants, or two sessions per day from Monday to Friday.

The seminar will start on Sept. 4 and will go on for 40 working days considering that of the 4,000 expected participants, only 100 can attend the training per day.

Tesda 7 Director Urbano Budtan said they will issue a training certificate to taxi drivers who attend the seminar. They will also be given identification cards, which will be placed in front of their unit’s driver’s seat.

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) 7 Director Rogelio “Jingjing” Osmeña said they will not calibrate a taximeter if its operator and drivers did not participate in the seminar.

“If, after the seminar, a taxi unit has no sticker issued by Tesda, then LTFRB will not calibrate its meter,” Osmeña said.
The training will be mostly lectures. They will be provided information materials as well as snacks.

A memorandum of understanding for the program was signed yesterday by Alburo, Budtan, Osmeña, Land Transportation Office (LTO) 7 Director Alex Leyson and Richard Cabucos, president of Metro Cebu Taxi Operators Association (MCTOA).

Cabucos said he will encourage all the operators and drivers of MCTOA to attend the seminar. The LTO and LTFRB will see to it that the other operators and drivers who are not MCTOA members will attend.

Under the MOA, Tesda will provide training staff, venue and facilities and designs curriculum.

The DOT will provide speakers and information materials on tourist destinations and religious and cultural sensibilities. (EOB)

[potterboy]

dili na sila mamili bai. i had this experience, i was on my way to the airport dha sa mactan. Lite taxi man to. he noticed i was just singing, ang kagwang cge na diay to ug tuslok sa unsa man to ila controller didto sa meter. wala sya kahibalo nga i know the fare from my place to the airport.

x2 bitaw na ang paningil, gawas ko. ako syang giingnan that i know the rate, and if he insists on his price, he'll get his. hehehe...

but in the end, gibayran ghapon nako sa meter nga price nya kay tiguwang man and niduko nalang. paluoy-luoy ang kugtong. nangayo ug pasaylo.

pagbalik sa taxi, sutoy lang.

hahay.

[digitalsuperman]

daghan naman gyud mga taxi driver nganhi sa cebu nga tikasan.
kapila nako nakasulay.like once, kusug kaayo ulan.nipara ko taxi. then iya ko gipanaog kay naa pa daw siya hapiton, then sa unahan nanguha ug pasahero..katulo gyud to nahitabo..pwerti nako basaa..

mga dudes, i-incourage tamo nga mokuha sa plate number ana nga mga taxi and much better if makakkuha mo sa name sa taxi driver nga abusado.

then i-post didto sa Cebu City Forum sa thread nga "Isumbong mo kay Mayor Tommy"..
naa man nga governement officials didto nga active sa forum. rest assured nga mo take action sila.
okay kaayo..

Mods:
I know nga ni violate ko ug rule by posting another forum, i really apologize, but perhaps you can make an exemption.
but If not, I'll adhere to your judgement, I understand. You can modify my post.Thanks.

[potterboy]

OT: @DS: ok ra na bai. we are always open for suggestions man. wehehehe... ok rana mods ani oi.

[lindsay]

it happened to me many times.....labi na kuyog nako ako bana....faet.. something should be done about this not just for the summit kay shallow ra kaayo na nga mo stop lang tungod sa summit.....kanang i enforce gyud then ug i report nga driver naa gyud punishment anytime.....but sad to say nga poro ra sad storya ang taga transportation dept....

[jugs_06]

shuss...

faet..

abi kay mga forenjer man pahimuslan dayun sa mga kugtong..

[iloveyou4ever]

mao jud ni kasagaran nga mga drivers. kami japon biktima aning modus. tsk tsk tsk.