Injured taxi driver seeks compensation

Bystanders look at the severely damaged taxi driven by Valerio Boybanting at the S. Osmeña Road in front of the Cebu Daily News building. The taxi was hit by an oncoming SUV on Thursday evening. (CDN Photo/Junjie Mendoza)

The taxi driver who was injured when his vehicle collided head-on with a sports utility vehicle on the newly concreted S. Osmeña Road last Thursday evening plans to file civil charges against the driver.

Valerio Boybanting, the  driver of the Ken Taxi unit involved in the incident, said he hopes not only to recover but receive compensation for whatever financial losses he sustained while in the hospital.

“Maayo unta’g naay motabang sa pagpasaka og kaso. Pobre kaayo ko sa tanan (It would be good if someone would  help in filing the case. I am  very poor),” he told Cebu Daily News in a phone interview yesterday.

He was brought to Chong Hua Hospital after the accident where his family was made to pay P16,000 as down payment for hospital admission.

During the conversation with CDN, his voice was audible but sounded very weak.

Losses

The 58-year-old Boybanting landed in the public eye for his honesty after he returned P254,208 in cash found in a jacket left behind by a Korean passenger last month.

The Korean passenger named Kim Eul Chol and his girlfriend boarded Boybanting’s taxi at Lapu-Lapu City District Hospital and got off at Park Mall in Mandaue City, accidentally leaving his jacket containing the money and some documents.

With the assistance of his manager, Maricor Castañares, Boybanting managed to return the money and received the gratitude of the Consulate of the Republic of Korea in Cebu.

Less than a month later, Boybanting landed in the news albeit with misfortune at his heels in last Thursday evening’s accident.

Boybanting said he believes the SUV driver Marcelo Tan, was at fault.

READ: Accident highlights need for center islands to prevent crossover crashes

The SUV was seen speeding northward then swerving out of his lane and crossing the intersection in front of the CDN building until it crashed to a stop at the side of the building in the parking lot.

The taxi, which carried a female passenger, was heading in the opposite direction and managed to stop briefly, apparently noticing the oncoming SUV.

Both parties are still waiting for the results of the investigation by the Cebu City Traffic Operations Management (CITOM) office.

The taxi driver said that he doesn’t want Tan to go to jail. He only wants to be compensated for the losses the accident cost him.

Boybanting, a father of six, has been a taxi driver for almost 20 years.

He said he was part of a well-known taxi company for 18 years until he was fired over trumped-up charges.

“Nabanggaan akong taxi og cargo truck. Ako man nuon ang gikasuhan. Nakontrahan man gud ko sa (My taxi was hit by a cargo truck and yet I was the one charged. I was in conflict with the) manager,” he said.

It took him a month to find another company to work for, but he didn’t like how things were run there. He then transferred to Ken Taxi and has been driving one of its units  for more than a year now.

Boybanting is the family’s breadwinner. His wife stays at home in Pardo, Cebu City.

The SUV driver’s wife reportedly met with Boybanting’s second child, Juvalyn, at the hospital and said they would pay all  hospital expenses if the  Citom’s probe shows that Tan was indeed at fault.

Relatives and Ken Taxi management pitched in for medical bills.. Boybanting had his second X-ray examination yesterday and an MRI scan but remains under observation.

The taxi driver said his hip still hurts and it hurts more when he tries to move.

“I feel tired. I can’t sleep because nurses keep waking me up for tests,” he said.

Boybanting hopes to be discharged from the hospital and get back to work  in the soonest possible time.