3 cops caught driving ‘colorum’ FX taxis in Quezon City
When members of the District Special Operations Unit (DSOU) of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) set out to apprehend drivers of “colorum” vehicles last week, little did they know that they would be going up against one of their own.
During an operation on Araneta and Quezon Avenues on October 17, a member of the La Loma police station in Quezon City was caught driving an FX taxi that was found to be without a franchise.
Chief Superintendent Mario de la Vega, QCPD director, identified the policeman as Police Officer 2 Russell Sangoy.
Aside from Sangoy, two other policemen were also accosted for the same offense on Edsa. A DSOU report named them as Senior Police Officer 1 Ricky Fernando of the Maritime Group and PO3 Eduardo Ducanes of the Crime Laboratory.
DSOU head Supt. Reynaldo Ramirez said the policemen’s driving licenses were confiscated following their apprehension.
On Tuesday, seven drivers were brought to Camp Karingal, the QCPD headquarters, after they were caught behind the wheel of colorum vehicles.
Some of them claimed they were just transporting coworkers to their offices but the QCPD said it would be up to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to decide on their cases.
QCPD deputy director for operations Senior Supt. Neri Ilagan, meanwhile, said the anticolorum operations were launched following reports that some robbery gangs were using private vehicles as FX or AUV taxis to pick up passengers and divest them of their valuables.
Ilagan urged the public not to patronize colorum vehicles as he pointed out that in case of an accident, passengers cannot expect any assistance from their operators.
In Pasig and Marikina cities, the police have impounded 11 colorum FX taxis and six tricycles since they started a crackdown on public utility vehicles operating without a franchise.
The drivers of five FX taxis and six tricycles were apprehended in Paliparan, Marikina City, from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Thursday while those of six other FX taxis were accosted on C-5 Road in Pasig City from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday.—With Rima Granali
