THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB-7) regional office has summoned a taxi driver after a passenger complained of difficulty breathing in his unit where he sprayed a chemical.
Ronnie Tolin Tadiamon, the driver, said he just sprayed air freshener in the cab to deodorize the unit.
“It can’t cause dizziness. It’s just air freshener. It’s embarrassing to have passengers complain when the taxi stinks,” he told Cebu Daily News .
PO3 Albert Almario of the Talamban police precinct who tracked him down on the first day said the driver was not arrested.
“He was just invited because of the incident reported to us from Fuente Police Station and LTFRB-7,” Almario said.
He identified the passenger as Maria Angeles Pepito Bacarisa. The incident happened last Thursday along Natalio Bacalso Avenue.
“When he sprayed the chemical inside of his unit, the passenger had difficulty breathing. She shouted and was able to get out of the taxi,” said Emil Membrillas, LTFRB-7 asst. information officer.
When the woman go out of the cab, obviously in distress, a water vendor saw her and called police and an ambulance to bring her to a hospital.
“We are still waiting for the passenger to give her records,” Membrillas said.
Tadiamon drives a Darwynn Taxi with plate number GXC 682 and body number 4970.
The 41-year-old driver has been working for Darwynn for almost a year. His employer Peter Damalao said the driver has no record of misconduct or complaints from passengers until this episode.