Pedicab drivers cry foul over thumbtack prank

MANILA, Philippines - Eight pedicab drivers went to officials of Barangay Malanday recently to complain about a colleague who reportedly liked to scatter thumbtacks along the streets in Dulong Lingahan, Valenzuela City whenever he is drunk.

The eight drivers complained about the alleged activities of Alvin Yuzon, 33, at the barangay hall in Malanday on Feb. 7 and 8. Since Yuzon is their friend, the drivers did not push through with the charges but made him pay for the flat tires, officials said.

A watchman interviewed by The STAR said that from the pedicab terminal near the barangay hall, drivers would ferry passengers to Dulong Lingahan and return with flat tires.

“They hardly see the thumbtacks because these were scattered in puddles of mud or water,” the tanod said.

The watchman described Yuzon as kind when he is sober. “You will hardly hear him talk when he is not drunk. But when he is, he does these things: scatter thumbtacks or stab pedicab tires,” he said.

According to the tanod, some residents called Puzon’s liquor “emperaning,” derived from the brandy he prefers to drink and the Filipino slang “praning,” which means paranoid or crazy.