A warning to all who ride cabs in Manila (blog article)

[nelsondejesus]

Yeah... You should ALWAYS believe what you read in Newspapers from the Philippines.

Kei Contreras' detailed narration of the incident and from reading the rest of her blog, Most Pinoy's reading it can see Kei Contreras is only writing about using a taxi to come off as being hambogira. She is indirectly trying to tell all her other Pinoy readers "look at me.. I can afford to use a taxi".

She is nothing more than a self absorbed drama queen blogger. She even admits on her blog as being a snob. Yes I agree she is a good writer and I find her blog very entertaining. But that is all it is, Entertainment. I read her warning to all who ride cabs and honestly it is not going to stop me from riding in a taxi or going to make me think any different.

On the contrary, my impression of Kei Contreras is that she's an average and ordinary individual who still can't afford to purchase her own car, and the usual expenses entailed in having such especially the prohibitive cost of gasoline nowadays, not to mention, the parking rates in makati.

I can understand where DonCebu's position is coming from since based on my experience, cab drivers in Cebu, are generally more honest and more service friendly than cab drivers in Manila.

 

[DonCebu]

On the contrary, my impression of Kei Contreras is that she's an average and ordinary individual who still can't afford to purchase her own car, and the usual expenses entailed in having such especially the prohibitive cost of gasoline nowadays, not to mention, the parking rates in makati.

I can understand where DonCebu's position is coming from since based on my experience, cab drivers in Cebu, are generally more honest and more service friendly than cab drivers in Manila.

I think Kei Contreras was watching the Discovery Channel. Recently there was a show dedicated to the Kidnap & Rescue: Taxi Cab Kidnapping of Alastair Onglingswan.

Reyes said Onglingswan was on his way to a gym on Jan. 20 when he was snatched by Yao, who posed as a taxi driver. Onglingswan narrated he felt dizzy inside the taxi and later found himself in chains when he regained consciousness.

It was playing on the Discovery Channel ad nauseum a while back. So maybe after watching the TV show she started to become paranoid.

I like to think all Pinoy Taxi driver are good hearted people, working hard to provide for their family. Yeah there may be a few bad ones out there and one should always be careful when riding in a taxi where they are not familiar.

I do find the taxi drivers in Manila trying more scams than in Cebu, but I did notice also most of the Taxi drivers in Manila are from somewhere from the Visayas. So go figure. LOL

 

[DevonDiver]

I think Kei Contreras was watching the Discovery Channel. Recently there was a show dedicated to the Kidnap & Rescue: Taxi Cab Kidnapping of Alastair Onglingswan.

...or maybe the taxi driver was!

I like to think all Pinoy Taxi driver are good hearted people,...

Good hearted in a "charge tourists 5x the going rate" kinda way...

But yes, they do have families to feed...and like many Pinoys.... assume that foreigners 'deserve' to pay more. Not fair, ethical or moral to many cultures... but it's an accepted outlook in the Philippines.

 

[DonCebu]

...or maybe the taxi driver was!



Good hearted in a "charge tourists 5x the going rate" kinda way...

But yes, they do have families to feed...and like many Pinoys.... assume that foreigners 'deserve' to pay more. Not fair, ethical or moral to many cultures... but it's an accepted outlook in the Philippines.

You are right. Maybe there is a TV watching taxi driver out there spraying powder into his air con vents !

Manila taxi drivers do not discriminate, they are equal opportunistic rip off artists. They try to rip the locals off also. They assume if you can afford to take a taxi you 'deserve' to get ripped off.

You must choose to put up with some Pinoy's expecting you to pay more, because there are many flights out of NAIA everyday and you can leave any time.

Honestly I don't mind when a Manila taxi driver is trying to rip me off. I find it entertaining.

Driver: "Sir Sir, please give me a good tip."
Me: "Don't bet on the Sabong."

 

[Cave Diver]

She is ok attractive but she is not so crazy attractive that a taxi driver is going to risk going to jail trying to rape her.

I'm not going to dispute some of your other points because I agree with several of them. This one however, I believe needs some attention called to it.

Rape does not happen just because someone is attractive. It can be a control issue for some rapists, it can be because the victim reminds them of someone they know, or simply a crime of opportunity. Not to mention the fact that there is no universal standard of beauty and what may be repulsive to some may be a goddess to others.

I think it's a disservice to trivialize this fact and dismiss the possibility just because you don't see someone as attractive.

 

[DevonDiver]

You must choose to put up with some Pinoy's expecting you to pay more, because there are many flights out of NAIA everyday and you can leave any time.

Well, most people don't choose to put up with it...which is why tourism in the Philippines is a tiny fraction of that enjoyed by most other Asian destinations.

Honestly I don't mind when a Manila taxi driver is trying to rip me off. I find it entertaining.

Which is fine for you... and for me, actually. We both know how to deal with it...and, most importantly, what we should be paying. Tourists don't...and for many, their first impression of the Philippines is a taxi driver at the airport who scams them. It's a real shame.

 

[DonCebu]

I'm not going to dispute some of your other points because I agree with several of them. This one however, I believe needs some attention called to it.

Most of my other posts in this thread was deleted, so I am just going to agree with you.

But I think culturally, rape is not common in the Philippines "outside" the family.

 

[DonCebu]

Well, most people don't choose to put up with it...

What I meant is you choose to be here. You can leave any time.

 

[DevonDiver]

I don't think you are qualified to re-interpret what I meant.

I stated my meaning quite specifically. Maybe you'd care to re-read?

 

[Centrals]

Most of my other posts in this thread was deleted,

But I think culturally, rape is not common in the Philippines "outside" the family.

Not just on this thread!!!!
No wonder there are at least half a million of Philipinas if NOT more working outside the country. To escape from the rapists as well as the incompentency of the men to provide them with protection and decent living.