GMA wants shortchanging cabbies punished

MANILA, Philippines - Former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is seeking the approval of a measure that would protect passengers from taxi drivers who refuse to give the exact change to their riders.

Arroyo filed House Bill 5107, co-authored by her son, Camarines Sur Rep. Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo, that seeks to penalize taxi drivers who do not give the exact change to passengers when asked.

The measure was referred to the House committee on transportation for discussion.

The authors said the act of failing or refusing to give exact change should be considered unlawful. Arroyo said many cabbies claim not to have enough coins while others say the ride was their first trip for day.

Under the bill, violators will be fined from P1,000 to P5,000 depending on the number of offenses. For the third offense, the violator’s driver’s license will be suspended for six months.

If four or more violations are committed, the Department of Transportation and Communications will suspend the driver for one to two years and the taxicab’s license to operate will also be suspended for the same period.