This is a 1st hand experience. I came from Heritage Hotel, hailed a cab going to MOA:
- Name: Taxi - Duke Ezekiel
- Plate No.: UVZ404
- Phone No.: (046)4840006
- Time / Location: 7:00PM, Mall of Asia
- Me: Kuya MOA po
- Taxi: Plus 50 ho ma'am
- K: Baket po?
- T: Traffic ho eh
- K: sira po ba metro nyo?
- T: Hindi ho
- K: I-metro na lang kuya kasi ayan o (pointing to opposite road), Hindi po traffic. Sa MOA area po ako araw-araw memorize ko na po ang traffic dito
Driver agreed and drove. We got to MOA and meter flashed P57.50 to which I gave P100 expecting to get a change of P40. Driver said he doesn't have change and showed me a wad of P100 bills. I said I will try to exchange for smaller bills from the store across. He said "ok pero hindi ko ititigil yung metro ha". Sensing that this wasn't going anywhere I quietly wrote down his details (painted on the door) then gave him my P100. I said, "Kuya ito na po ang P100 so basically parang nagdagdag nga ko tala sa inyo. Next time po magdala kayo ng panukli kasi taxi po kayo".
I went down and took photos of his cab. When he saw me taking photos, he went to me, towered over me and said "Maam ano hong problema nyo?" to which I replied "ang problema ko Kuya, wala kayong panukli kaya irereklamo ko kayo". Driver said "kung magrereklamo kayo maam halika sasamahan ko pa kayo pero sinabi ko na sainyo wala ako panukli di ba!" Then I said "ay wag na ho kasi napicturan ko na naman kayo so irereklamo ko na lang kayo sa kinauukulan". Driver said in a loud voice "o sige eh di magreklamo ka, para malaman mo kung Sino ang me ari ng taxi na to!" furious I shouted "ah at tine-threaten mo pa ko ha! Guard, guard hinaharass ako nitong driver na to! Bumaba pa sya sa taxi nya para tanungin kung anong problema ko at ngayon tinatakot pa ako!"
A guard came over, driver was explaining that 'he does not have barya" then another guard came. This time driver said "di ko nga po alam ano problema nya kasi binabalik ko na yung pera nya oh, ito na pera mo!" I said "excuse me Kuya ngayon nyo lang binalik yan, pero sayo na yan kasi wala na kong pakialam dyan dahil nga sabi mo wala kang panukli di ba. Basta ang gagawin ko irereklamo kita!" He kept yapping and yapping then drove off. If he wasn't greedy in the first place, I would've let it go. But to say that you have no "loose change" just to clearly extort money is deception, and I will not let it pass.
Source: Kate Samson
