TRANSPORTATION Secretary Vince Dizon yesterday asked the public to give airport authorities a chance to do their job and vowed that the government would continue to exert efforts to rid the Ninoy Aquino International Airport of unscrupulous taxi drivers and their cohorts who prey on Filipino and foreign visitors.
Dizon, in an online briefing, said airport authorities, as well as those from the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Land Transportation Office (LTO), are regularly monitoring the situation at the airport amid complaints and reports on abusive taxi drivers and airport transport scams.
Office for Transportation Security Administrator Undersecretary Arthur Bisnar and Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Eric Ines are conducting investigations on the abusive airport officials.
“Hindi po tayo titigil, araw-araw pong nandiyan ang LTFRB at LTO ngayon at sana matakot na itong mga mapang-abusong mga taxi driver at pati na rin iyong mga kasabwat nila sa airport police dahil hindi talaga natin titigilan ito. At saka sinuman ang mahuli dito, paulit-ulit naming sinasabi pasensyahan po tayo (We will not stop, the LTFRB and LTO will be there every day now and I hope these abusive taxi drivers and their accomplices in the airport police will be frightened because we will not stop. And whoever is caught here, I’m sorry, they won’t be tolerated),” he said.
Dizon said aside from a crackdown on abusive taxi drivers and airport officials, NAIA officials are also crafting a more transparent, efficient, and accountable system.
He said at least 11 taxi drivers have been apprehended for overcharging their passengers and using expired or fake taxi franchises, resulting in the invalidation of their licenses and suspension of taxi franchises, while five airport police officials have been relieved from their posts.
