A photo collage of the Metro Cebu taxi ridden by passenger Shawnaleh Micah Rivera Rosal who posted the images on Facebook after the driver groped her leg. (contributed photo by Shawnaleh Micah Rivera Rosal)
A taxi driver in Metro Cebu who groped the leg of a female passenger and made lewd remarks will be asked to explain his abusive behavior by the Land Tranportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
The 24-year-old passenger, Shawnaleh Micah Rivera Rosal, posted photos of the taxi and described her encounter on Facebook.
“I don’t usually post on Facebook but I just don’t want other people to experience the same thing. I am a woman and am also concerned for others,” Rosal told Cebu Daily News by phone later.
Her post, which registered 4,832 shares by yesterday afternoon caught the attention of the LTFRB.
On Monday, LTFRB Regional Director Reynaldo Elnar will meet Rosal to receive her formal complaint.
Rosal posted online two photos of a Richielda Taxi with plate number GXL 860 and body number 0757.
From there, the agency can trace the owner and driver.
Rosal, a pharmaceutical employee, said she hailed the cab from Ayala Center in Cebu City to take her home to Mandaue City on Friday night.
Her aunt, a young cousin and two house helpers sat at the back.
Rosal, who sat in the front, said the taxi was going at high speed when the driver suddenly reached out and squeezed her left thigh as they passed Parkmall in Mandaue city.
She was wearing a skirt and blouse.
The passengers were frightened because the taxi was almost hit by a truck on the road.
“My aunt told him to slow down because we had a child on board,” Rosal recalled.
The driver was in his 30s and wearing a black jacket instead of a uniform, which is a red polo shirt for cabbies, she said.
When they almost reached their destination, the driver remarked, “Lami kaayong ikaon ug chicks karon.” In Cebuano street language, he was saying he would enjoy having sex right now.
Elnar of the LTFRB said he would trace the vehicle and send a summons to the taxi operator and its driver.
“We will also ask for the side of the operator and the driver as part of due process. Our jurisdiction here is the taxi’s franchise,” Elnar told CDN.
He encouraged other passengers who had a similar experience to visit their office.
Arnel Tancinco, regional director of the Land Transportation Office (LTO), said Rosal can also file a complaint with his office since LTO has jurisdiction over a driver’s license.
A major offense can result in the suspension or revocation of a license.
According to Rosal, the taxi driver said he was new on the job and not familiar with her destination in Mandaue City.
She gave directions but Rosal said she argued with the driver when he took a diffrent route to barangay Hippodromo where “it was dark”.
When the driver groped her leg, Rosal said she did not react because she was afraid of what he would do next.
Rosal said she got even more offended before they reached home, when the driver uttered his lewd remarks.
After disembarking, Rosal said she took photos of the taxi with its body and plate numbers.
Then she posted her account to warn other passengers through social media.