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)
THE Cebu City taxi driver who was accused of making sexual advances on a female passenger denied groping the woman’s leg or uttering lewd remarks.
Elmer Jalalon of Richielda Taxi showed up at the office of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) last Monday. He was traced through the taxi’s body number (0757) and plate number (GXK-860) after the complainant took photos with her cameraphone.
Jalalon was asked to submit an affidavit to reply to allegations of Shawnaleh Micah Rivera Rosal. A hearing will be set after Nov. 1.
“We are expecting him to submit on Monday or Tuesday. If there is none, the office will issue a resolution and forward it to the Land Transportation Office (LTO-7),” said Emil Membrillas, LTFRB-7 assistant information officer. The LTFRB regulates franchises of taxi operators while the LTO handles drivers licenses.
Last week, the LTO-7 issued Jalalon a subpoena requiring him to come to the office but he failed to show up. A second subpoena will be sent next week.
“We also want to encourage the complainant to come to the office and file a formal complaint. We learned about the incident through Facebook,” said Joel Maloloy-on, LTO-7 operations chief.
Rosal, an employee, rode the taxi with her aunt, a young cousin and two house helpers last October 23 from Ayala Center Cebu to barangay Guizo, Mandaue City. She said Jalalon drove at high speed, and took a route through a poorly lit area of Hippodromo, claiming he wasn’t familiar with the way. Rosal said she was shocked when the driver later groped the top of her left leg and said, “Lami kaayong ikaon ug chicks karon.”
Rosal took photos of the taxi and posted them on Facebook, where she described her ordeal.