Cabbie held over P1,200 fare for Naia-Taguig trip

A taxi driver was arrested and charged for allegedly forcing a passenger to pay P1,200 for a trip from Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) to Taguig City, or more than 10 times the regular fare.

The Aviation Security Group filed a complaint for estafa against Ivan Incirto, 26, of Sta. Maria, Bulacan, who was arrested on Sunday. This was after 33-year-old Brian Jaen, a seaman who arrived at Naia Terminal 3, sought help from the Avsegroup’s mobile patrol security unit (MPSU).

According to Jaen, he landed around 12:30 p.m. on Sunday and got into Incirto’s Al-Rose taxi (ABX-5137) after waiting in line for about half an hour. The vehicle had traveled by about 50 meters when the driver said he would charge a fixed rate of P1,200 to take his passenger to a mall in Bicutan, Taguig.

When Jaen refused and insisted on paying only the metered fare, Incirto forced him out of the cab. The seaman, who hails from Davao City, sought help at a nearby MPSU outpost, which immediately sent out an alert for Incirto’s taxi.

About five hours later, MPSU personnel spotted the cab near Terminal 1 and placed Incirto under arrest. —JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE