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CEBU CITY, Philippines — A desperate taxi driver was arrested on February 26 after he went online and showed a video of him choking, slapping and threatening to hack with a knife his 3-year-old daughter inside his cab on February 26.
All this to allegedly catch the attention of his estranged live-in partner, who was in Europe and whom the driver claimed to be allegedly in a relationship with a foreigner there.
READ: Intensify efforts against child abuse – Cebu City dad
Taxi driver child abuse: Why he did it
The driver told authorities after he was arrested that his live-in partner left for Europe eight months ago and had since cut communications with him by blocking him in her social media pages and had allegedly stopped sending financial support to him and their daughter.
Initial investigation showed that the taxi driver, who drove his cab around Cebu City and eventually ended near the city of Naga allegedly went online and showed him maltreating his 3-year-old daughter inside his cab.
The online posts caught the attention of the classmate of Police Lieutenant John Paul Galacio, deputy chief of Police of Waterfront Police Station in Cebu City, who informed him about the disturbing post.
Galacio then contacted the taxi operator, who helped them locate where the taxi cab was by sending to the police officer the GPS location of the cab, which was later found to be in Naga City in southern Cebu.
READ: At least 17,600 children suffered violence and abuse in 2023, says PNP
How taxi driver was caught
Galacio said that he then informed Police Lieutenant Colonel William Homoc, Naga City Police Station chief, of the situation.
Homoc then issued an order directing all police officers of the station to look for, pursue and arrest the taxi cab driver and rescue the 3-year-old girl.
He was later located in the city and arrested and the child was rescued.
The arrested taxi cab driver later told police during the investigation that he did that to his daughter and posted what he did online to get the attention of his estranged live-in partner, who was in Europe for eight months now.
He said he was desperate after his live-in partner blocked him from her social media pages.
He also said that she allegedly had cut financial support to him and their daughter.
READ: Over 900,00 websites showing online child abuse blocked in 2023 — CWC
Detained at Waterfront Police Station
The taxi driver, who is from Liloan town in northern Cebu, was turned over to the Waterfront Police Station in Cebu City by the Naga City Policemen because the taxi driver committed the crime in Cebu City, particularly, in the area under the jurisdiction of the Waterfront Police Station.
He was detained at the Waterfront Police Station detention cell pending the filing of child abuse charges or for violation of RA 7610 (Physical abuse).
The child is now under the custody of a relative of the driver in a Cebu City barangay.