MALICIOUS MISCHIEF?: Taxi Operator Denies Vlogger’s Overcharging Claims

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

A taxi operator refuted claims made by Cebu City-based vlogger Mamita Lakwatsera regarding alleged overcharging for trips to the Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan.

Perfecto Yap, president of the Association of Taxi Operators of Panay, responded on Saturday, January 19, to a recent video where the vlogger complained about a PHP 600 charge for a taxi ride from a Mandurriao district hotel to the airport early in the morning.

The vlogger compared this to a supposed PHP 300 taxi fare between Cebu City and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

Yap, citing a conversation with Richard Cabucos, president of the Metro Cebu Taxi Operators Association, disputed the comparison.

“Many of the operators at the Mactan airport are yellow cabs with a PHP 30 flag-down rate, but the succeeding kilometers cost more than that. I asked [Cabucos] how much a passenger would typically spend traveling from the airport to Cebu City. He was very emphatic in saying it would range from PHP 600 to PHP 700, depending on the destination,” Yap said during a radio interview.

He suggested malice in the vlogger’s video, pointing out that assistance centers are available at airports nationwide for complaints.

“If there were issues, as a vlogger, [they] should already know that passenger assistance centers exist at airports across the country. A complaint should have been filed immediately. We would have attended to it right away,” Yap added.

Yap explained that taxi drivers face challenges in maximizing income, particularly due to restrictions at the Iloilo Airport.

Taxi drivers typically wait two to three hours for a new passenger after dropping off departing travelers, meaning they lose earnings during that period.

“Let’s say renting a taxi costs around PHP 1,500 per day. Drivers operate for more or less 15 hours, so they stand to lose PHP 100 per hour of downtime, or around PHP 200 to PHP 300 overall,” he explained.

He noted that records show an average cost of PHP 400 to PHP 450 for trips from the City Proper to the airport.

“If an extra PHP 200 is added, the profit margin would only be around PHP 50,” Yap added.

Yap emphasized that taxis dropping off passengers at the Iloilo Airport cannot immediately pick up arrivals and must queue in a designated parking lot.

Additionally, taxi operators pay an annual concession charge to the airport and secure business permits with the local governments of Cabatuan and Iloilo City.