Higher fare for Baguio taxicabs seen chance to fight ‘colorums’

BAGUIO CITY—Taxicabs in the summer capital will soon charge a P35 flag-down rate, but not after the Cordillera office of the Department of Transportation and Communications uses the new rate as an opportunity to uncover colorum cabs.

Emmanuel Carantes, president of the Samahan ng mga Taxi Drivers sa Cordillera, said the DOTC received a June 16 resolution from the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), which adds P10 to the current P25 flag-down rate, and an additional P2 for the succeeding 200 meters.

The Baguio rate is still lower than those for taxicabs in the rest of the country. In January, the LTFRB allowed taxicabs, except those in Baguio, to charge a flag-down rate of P40 and an additional P3.50 for the succeeding 300 meters.

The new rate will be enforced in the middle of July, or 15 days after the DOTC publishes the order in a local newspaper, said Perfecto Itliong, Cordillera coordinator of the public transport affairs office under the Office of the President.

That has given Celine Claver, DOTC Cordillera director, time to draft new guidelines that would order a mandatory review of the documents of all taxicabs operating in Baguio before their owners are allowed to recalibrate their cab meters, Itliong said.

“It would be the fastest way for the DOTC to again review, and catch colorum taxi drivers and operators,” he said.

Based on a city government resolution, the DOTC has enforced a moratorium on the issuance of new public transport franchises because of an oversupply of public utility jeeps and taxicabs operating in Baguio.

But at a recent city council session, councilors chastised DOTC officials for their apparent inability to clamp down on unregistered taxicabs operating at night.

DOTC documents show there may be 4,000 taxicabs plying the city streets, half of which are too old or have questionable papers.

Last month, the owners of 741 public utility franchises petitioned the city council to legitimize their documents which were issued during the moratorium. The council has yet to act on their plea.