Whether he submits his counter-affidavit or not this week, Elmer Jalalon’s days as a taxi driver may be over.
The driver was accused by female passenger Shawnaleh Micah Rivera Rosal of groping her leg as they passed by a dimly lit area on the way to her destination in Mandaue City from Ayala Center Cebu last October 23.
Jalalon acted like a boor, going by the female employee’s description. Her aunt, a young cousin and two helpers were aboard, when he was heard uttering a vulgar remark in Cebuano about how he’d love to have sex at the moment. Was he high on something more than stimulated hormones?
Jalalon failed to show up in a previous hearing on Rosal’s complaint held by the regional office of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB-7). After he was traced through the taxi’s body and plate number, he showed up to deny the allegations against him.
There were reports that the taxi he drove was owned by the president of Cebu taxi drivers group. And the woman is said to be the niece of former Mandaue City vice mayor Carlo Fortuna.
If that were the case, then Jalalon is in deeper trouble than he realizes. This may explain why he’s been keeping a low profile in the past few days.
He’s not the only one in trouble since the operator was required by the LTFRB to explain why his franchise shouldn’t be suspended over Jalalon’s inexcusable behavior.
A speedy confrontation is the result of the passenger’s presence of mind. She snapped a photo of the taxi and posted it online with her complaint.
That’s not enough though to get a resoltuion, she has to persevere and go through the LTFRB hearing as part of due process owed to the driver.
Jalalon’s case came four months after a taxi driver identified as Von Ryan Camacho was accused of raping a drunken hotel trainee in barangay Carreta, Cebu City last July.
In Rosal’s case, she had her family and two helpers to act as witnesses against Jalalon, whose behavior raises suspicions that he may be under the influence of drugs at the time.
One can only shudder at what could have happened to her if she had been in the cab alone with Jalalon. From the comments thread on her Facebook post, netizens showed support and even gave suggestions on how to deal with ill-behaved cab drivers.
Eventually, however, both the Land Transportation Office, the LTFRB and the Cebu taxi drivers groups should work together and remove the scalawags posing as taxi drivers in their ranks.
The incident also should encourage passengers to report their complaints to authorities even if it means have to follow it up for days. This is the only way get rid of abusive drivers and let others know that they don’t go unpunished.
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