LTFRB to ICVB: stop self-imposed taxi rate
Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) regional director Porfirio Clavel has appealed to the Iloilo Convention and Visitors Bureau (ICVB) to stop imposing P80 gratuity on top of the metered fare rate to taxi passengers going to the new Iloilo Airport in Cabatuan.
Clavel said he has asked the help of Department of Tourism (DOT) regional director Edwin Trompeta to have a dialog with representatives from ICVB last Friday but it did not materialize.
However, Clavel stressed that it is illegal for ICVB to impose the P80 gratuity because only LTFRB is allowed by law to regulate fare rates.
He added, the imposition of P80 gratuity is also improper as there is an ongoing hearing on the petition of the Association of Taxi Operators in Panay (Atop) for a P150 "add on" to the regular taxi fare going to the new airport.
Media last week obtained flyers being distributed by ICVB to guests of their member-hotels containing the taxi airport rate of "taxi meter rate plus gratuity of P80" valid only for Light of Glory taxi which is an ICVB member.
Incidentally, lawyer Joseph Vincent Go, operator of the Light of Glory taxi, is one of the oppositors to Atop's petition for P150 "add on".
When reached for his reaction, Go vehemently denied that he has knowledge of the ICVB imposed taxi airport rate. He said it is ICVB's own initiative.
Mannie Gruenberg of ICVB in an earlier interview with The News Today justified that there is nothing wrong with asking gratuity or tip from passengers.
He said ICVB devised such scheme to protect "our hotel guests from unscrupulous drivers" pending the resolution of the problem on what would be the taxi fare in going to the airport.
Clavel clarified that what ICVB is implementing is no longer a gratuity or a tip as they have specified the amount of P80.
"If they did not specify an amount it might be acceptable," Clavel said.
Meantime, Clavel called on all the taxi drivers not to impose additional charges on their passengers going to the new airport.
Clavel said, any violation could be reported to his office so necessary sanctions could be made against the erring driver or operator.
Meanwhile, the hearing on Atop's P150 "add on" petition is still unfinished with the next hearing scheduled on July 4 at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol.
Hearing officer Atty. Rommel Duron said assuming the hearing will end this July 4 they would still consolidate all the data gathered then forward it to LTFRB central office which will rule on the petition.