Another taxi story

[Bear]

Ray Bacon posteed this story on another site.  Amazing!!!

I've got a story to grapple with!

I have been living in Palawan for three years and am wanting to change to another community within the Philippines that is not so     isolated. So two weeks ago I visited a town in the Visayas of which I heard many good things.

One rainy night in this town, I went to dinner at a restaurant/bar where foreigners frequent. After finishing I decided to go to another bar that I had heard about. In this town there are signs that a tricycle ride within the town should not exceed P3.50. I took a tricycle to the bar, but since it was nighttime and raining I decided to give more than the required P3.50 and handed the driver P12!

The driver demanded fifty pesos! Quite surprised, I asked him, "5 - 0? P50?" and he said yes! There was no way I was going to pay that amount for a 4-minute ride. The driver then started yelling at me and telling me how he hated all foreigners. I then suggested that we go to the police station and let them decided how much I should pay. On the way to the police he continued his barrage of yelling at me and said that the price had just gone up to P1,000! (That's right! One thousand pesos!) He then turned down a dark road, stopped and with is foot kicked me out of the tricycle, then reached under the passenger seat, took out an iron bar and started to swing at my head.

I was able to out-run the guy and tried to reason with him to calm down. Once I was a safe distance from the guy, I put the P12 down on the street and walked away from it. He walked over, picked up the P12 and threw it at me! Then he ran back to the tricycle, started it up and tried to run me over. Again I was able to elude him so he went off and left me standing there in the rain.

Soon, I flagged down another tricycle and went back to the original restaurant/bar where I picked up the first tricycle. They took P3.50 for the ride! I began to talk to the other foreigners there regarding what I should do about the first tricycle driver. HE TRIED TO KILL ME! The advice they gave me was to let it go as the local police always sided with the locals when a foreigner was involved.

But it soon proved to be no chance of that happening! Soon the original, iron-swinging driver showed up in front of the bar. I guess he figured out that we were talking about him as he saw people listening to me and then looking at him. He came to the door, demanded more money and threatened me, but the staff there calmed him down and he returned to his tricycle and drove off.

However, before he drove off, the staff were quite concerned about the safety of their customers and had called the police. Within 5 minutes they showed up (after the driver had driven off) and took me down to the station to "blatter" (meaning to make a report). I told them what happened. And from the body language and facial expressions I could see that ol' familiar attitude that I find common among Filipinos. First, that when a foreigner is treated as such they are embarrassed as they feel it's a reflection against all Filipinos.

Second, suspicion of the foreigner. I was able to lighten them up a bit and told them how much I liked their country and people (this will always put Filipinos in a good mood, whether you mean it or not!) They said that I should not have paid P1,000 nor P50 for the ride, and the P12 was more than the required P3.50. They promised to find the tricycle driver and arrest him for "arrogance"! (I never realized arrogance was a criminal offense!)

After 12 mid-night, I got a text message from the police to come down to the station to clear up the matter as they had caught the driver. When I got there I realized that the police had had a shift change and that the police with whom I had established a report were now gone and I was now being dealt a different deck of cards. I had to give my story again. After that, the driver gave his! He said that he never asked for P1,000, nor P50. He added that I had even refused to pay him the P3.50! He said that I went berserk, reached under his passenger seat, pulled out the iron bar (how would I had know there was an iron bar there?) and tried to kill him. His explanation on why  I would do such a thing was that I suddenly went "crazy" for no reason at all! He went on to say that I was not able to catch him with the iron bar so I turned and beat many dents in the body of his tricycle with that same iron bar. He showed the dents, which mysteriously was already rusting within 3 hours after the incident.

(I also had witnesses from the restaurant of how he threatened me and demanded more money from me).

The verdict? I had to pay P1,500 for the damage to the tricycle or have charges brought against me. I paid, went back to my hotel to cool off.

But the story gets worse!!!

The next morning the driver turns up at the reception desk demanding to see me to get more money for the "damages" I had made to his tricycle! The hotel staff quickly helped me pack, snuck me out the back door and took me to another hotel. By that afternoon, I was out of that town!

One more tidbit! I also learned from the restaurant and hotel staff that the driver was a known seller of shabu (an illegal drug) and had "connections" with the local police!

[Mita]

... in response to Another taxi story, posted by Bear on Nov 9, 2003

This is from the same forum.  This is actually the post that got the thread started:

Sometimes it just takes one person to change your mood from crappy to
happy. This morning we were all set to drive down to the market for
our week's fresh veggies, etc. When I spotted a lot of radiator fluid
dripped out from under the motor. Damn. Cancel the shopping, head
down to the garage and see what the problem is. Look for a taxi home
and try to figure out how to make the best of it.

A pleasant chat with the driver as we head home. I remark that his
shocks seem to have died a long time ago, which he finds amusing.
When we get to the gate nearest my home (which he isn't allowed to
drive through, I reach into my pocket to pay and only find a 20 and 2
500's. I ask him to wait and I would walk home, get the amount due
(p70 with a tip) and come back quickly on my m'cycle. He just laughs
and said no, it's an honest mistake, don't bother. I'll just take the
p20. I tried to insist that he wait -I would run home, but still he
wouldn't hear of it. Just gave me a big smile and a wave and off he
went. That kindness really put a smile on my face, and it's still
there while i sit here waiting until I can pick up my vehicle.

Just thought I'd share that. By the way, I'm talking about a Manila
cab driver!

[Dave H]

... in response to Another taxi story, posted by Bear on Nov 9, 2003

[This message has been edited by Dave H]

...I just want to know why that Kano didn't take that iron bar and shove it up that tricycle driver's ass? I'm sure he could have had his legs broken for far less than P1000. Sounds like the Kano was drunk off his ass.

Dave H.

[NW Jim]

... in response to Hmmm..., posted by Dave H on Nov 9, 2003

Speaking of ............

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/11/1110_031110_herringfarts.html

[Dave H]

... in response to Re: Hmmm... Dave , posted by NW Jim on Nov 11, 2003

Hi Jim,

ROFLMAOCUMLPASIMMFD! Translation- I think I just soiled my diaper! ;o)))

Dave H.

[Ray]

... in response to Now You've Done It!, posted by Dave H on Nov 12, 2003

Hey Dave,

I tried one of those 22 KHz FRTs and it broke all of my wine glasses. I think I might have gotten the frequency a little too high... :-(

At least now we have scientific proof that fish do fart.

Ray

[Jeff S]

... in response to Re: Hmmm... Dave , posted by NW Jim on Nov 11, 2003

.

[Humabdos]

... in response to Another taxi story, posted by Bear on Nov 9, 2003

That Kano wasn't to smart. He should have just given the guy the money and went inside the bar. Trying to argue with a tricycle driver is pointless! Involving the police was really stupid! I have found myself in similar situation many times, I just throw the correct fare in the seat and walk away. Almost any bar or hotel has a security guard out front. Just tell the guard the guy is trying to rip you off and go inside.  You could also give the guard p20 and tell him to get rid of the driver. I have done this several times in Manila with taxi drivers trying to over charge. Just remember to get your baggage out of the car or tricycle before trying to pay that way he won't take off with it.

Hum

[Humabdos]

... in response to Re: Another stupid Kano, posted by Humabdos on Nov 9, 2003

Anyone who actually  believes this story shouldn't even go to the Philippines.After reading the second time,this story is ridiculous and fictitious!!!lol

HUm

[Bear]

... in response to Also, posted by Humabdos on Nov 9, 2003

I just reposted it so I am curous as to what makes u think its fictious?

Bear and Honey

[Humabdos]

... in response to Re: Also, posted by Bear on Nov 9, 2003

It just sounds wildly exaggerated. Like Dave said he was probably drunk. Maybe some of it is true but I just don't believe most of it. Sounds like one of the walkers stories.
Hum

[outwest77]

... in response to Re: Re: Also, posted by Humabdos on Nov 9, 2003

You think stories about trike or cabby drivers overcharging is wildly exxaggerated? LOL

[Humabdos]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Also, posted by outwest77 on Nov 12, 2003

No, that not what I said Outwest. It happens more times than not.  What is ridiculous is the guys story about the police and the tricycle driver come back several times.
Was That you? lol
The guy should have just given the driver p10 and gone inside. I've never seen a bar that didn't have a security guard at the door. The really stupid part was for him to ride off again with this driver to the police station! ROTFLMAO!  

Hum

[outwest77]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Also, posted by Humabdos on Nov 13, 2003

LOL , we went on a horse ride in Manila, Intramuros, the guy quotes me and my gf 100 p or something like that, to go a short distance, so then i said, well, hmm we really want to go over there and see that church, and over here to see that old fort, etc, so he says, oh sir you come with me, no problem, well the ride ended up taking like hmm 1/2 hour
but when time to pay came the guy asks for hmm let me think
1500 pesos or maybe it was 1200, anyway, i said nope thats not the deal, he starts to rant and rave, i said you quoted us 100p........agreeably we should have firmed up the price when we changed the itinerary,

anyway, he starts ranting and raving and then, my gf says , oh ok lets go to the blah blah police station my uncle is a sargeant there.........LOL, that shut him up, i ended up giving him a few hundred pesos since the ride did take so long, but ,,,,,,,nobody ever said the phils is boring.