Grab probes driver for threats to passenger

MANILA, Philippines – Transport network company Grab is investigating one of its drivers for allegedly threatening to shoot his passenger.

The incident was reported a few days after an Uber driver allegedly raped his passenger last Wednesday. 

In a Facebook post, Angel Ramos said that Grab driver Regino Silagan Taacon Jr. picked her up at the Twin Oaks Place project site in Mandaluyong City before 2 p.m. Friday.

Taacon was driving a vehicle with plate number YR 0797.

Ramos alleged that Taacon threatened to shoot her after she gave him a P1,000 bill to pay for her P224 fare when she was about to get out at the nearby Smart Tower in Makati City.

Prior to boarding the vehicle, Ramos said she asked Taacon if she could get her wallet, which she had forgotten, but the driver allegedly rudely told her to cancel her trip.

She opted to continue the trip despite Taacon’s behavior.

Ramos said she and the driver argued when she handed him the P1,000 bill. She said Taacon allegedly introduced himself as a police officer.

“Wag mo ako sinasagot-sagot, bumabaril ako (Don’t talk back, I shoot),” Ramos, quoting Taacon, said.

She said she was scared so she got out of the vehicle even if she had not yet arrived at her designated drop-off point and it was raining hard.

Grab Philippines said on its official Twitter account (@grabph) that it reached Taacon and Ramos and is investigating the incident.

“The driver has been suspended and is prohibited to drive while the team is conducting an investigation,” it added.

“We do not tolerate any behavior that threatens the safety and well-being of our passengers and drivers and this incident is not an exception,” it added.

Transportation spokesperson Cherrie Mercado, meanwhile, said the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) would issue a show cause order against Taacon.   

She told reporters they would make Taacon and Grab explain why their accreditation and franchise, respectively, should not be cancelled.

Mercado urged Ramos to be ready in case a hearing is set next week.

She also reminded Taacon that his accreditation to operate is only a privilege – it can be revoked depending on the gravity of the offense.

An Uber driver was recently charged with rape after he allegedly molested his 22-year-old passenger in his vehicle in Quezon City.

Xstian Karlou John Marie allegedly forced the passenger to hold his genitals, then pulled her hair and forced her to perform oral sex on him.

Mercado, meanwhile, urged commuters who experienced problems with transport network company drivers to report the incident to the LTFRB through its 1342 hotline, which is open 24/7, or to the agency’s public assistance desk.