Cabbie faces not just child abuse charge

After being slapped with a case of child abuse in the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office, a taxi driver who allegedly exposed himself to his passenger, a 17-year-old female student, may end up facing additional charges of unjust vexation and acts of lasciviousness.

During a hearing at the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) office on Wednesday, the victim’s father said that although his daughter had recovered sufficiently to go back to school, she was still traumatized by her experience.

He added that the cab driver, Raul Lumadilla of RLC Ubercabs Inc., had apologized for his actions during the inquest proceedings, saying he could not explain why he did such a thing.

“He did not admit to [masturbating] but he admitted that he accidentally showed his [organ],” the father said.

He added that they were also studying the possibility of filing the necessary charges against RLC Ubercabs Inc.

“Our lawyers are determining if there were lapses on the part of the operator in monitoring their drivers because they should check if they are emotionally and mentally ready for the job,” the father said.

According to him, the suspect has asked him and his family for forgiveness. “It will be easy for us to forgive him but he has to be punished and suffer the consequences [of his actions],” he stressed, adding that they wanted to obtain justice as well as prevent similar incidents in the future.

For his part, RLC lawyer Aaron Ho said they were not condoning Lumadilla’s actions.

“We are also conducting a thorough investigation of the incident. Right now, he is banned from driving his taxi and he has been suspended from his job,” he added.

The teenage girl earlier positively identified Lumadilla as the driver of the cab she and her classmates flagged down in front of Miriam College on Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City around 1:30 p.m. on March 30.

She added that when they reached Commonwealth Avenue, she noticed Lumadilla unzipping his pants and fondling his organ. The victim was seated beside the suspect.

Lumadilla, who appeared at the LTFRB office last week to deny the allegation against him, claimed that he was suffering from a urinary tract infection at that time.

Following the filing of charges against him, he remains detained at the Quezon City Police District headquarters. With John Cyril Yee