Baguio cabbies ask for guns, knives amid robbery rise

BAGUIO CITY—Cab drivers and operators here asked officials on Monday to let them carry knives or guns to thwart robbers following 11 cases of armed robberies committed in cabs in April alone.

Councilor Edison Bilog, however, said arming drivers could lead to an escalation of crimes.

Police and the city council, instead, offered to improve a reward system, street lighting and install more CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras as deterrents to crimes.

Drivers and operators sought permission to arm themselves during a dialogue with Supt. David Lacdan, city police chief, last Monday.

Among the cases that prompted the request for drivers to be armed was the April 25 robbery at  Tacay Lodge during which four armed men who used a stolen cab tied employees and fled with P300,000 of the inn’s earnings.

Ben Fabella, a taxi operator, said the first case in April was reported on April 6. After Baguio’s peak tourist season during the Christmas holiday, tourists return to the summer capital during Holy Week.

Protocols violated

He said eight taxi drivers were robbed between April 6 and 19, despite security protocols set earlier which required drivers plying at night to pass through police checkpoints.

Lacdan said many taxi drivers were forced by passengers to skip this security measure. “Many were arguing that they should not be made to endure a checkpoint inspection because they did not fit the profile of robbers,” he said.

But arming cab drivers would be excessive, Councilor Bilog said.

The Department of Transportation and Communications had registered 6,344 taxicabs operating in Baguio. The inventory does not include unlicensed cabs that also operate in Baguio at night, which are estimated to number close to 2,000.

Bilog said two robbery cases were solved. A suspect had been charged in court, but another suspect had to be freed when the victim withdrew his complaint.

Allowances

Police urged the city council to consider allocating night duty allowances for village guards who may be commissioned to help patrol neighborhoods at night.

They also asked taxi operators and civic groups to contribute to a reward program against crimes.

Donations could also help improve lighting of roads in villages around the city, said Senior Inspector Eugene Raymundo.

Bilog said he may also consider a proposal from taxi operators requiring drivers to keep their cabs’ interiors lighted at night.