MANILA, Philippines – When Valeria (not her real name), an 18-year-old University of Santo Tomas student, got into a taxi cab at 2 a.m. last Saturday after attending a school activity, she had no idea that she would be in for a harrowing ride.After telling the cab driver to take her to Sta. Mesa Heights in Quezon City where she lived, the young girl settled in the back seat for what she thought would be an uneventful ride. When the driver of the KUL taxi cab with license plate TWC 897 pulled up in front of her house, Valerie took a P1,000 bill from her bag and handed it to him. To her surprise, the cab driver casually dropped the bill on the floor of the vehicle and took three P20 bills from his pocket. When Valerie asked for her change, the driver protested, telling her that she gave him only P60. At this point, Valerie’s mother, who was wondering why it was taking too long for her daughter to get out of the cab, came out of the house and asked what the problem was. The driver promptly assured her that nothing was wrong although Valerie protested, saying that the man had yet to give her her change. As Valerie started arguing with the driver, her mother went to the barangay hall from across the street to ask for help from the tanod (watchmen). Sped away As she walked into the barangay hall, the taxi driver suddenly stepped on the gas and sped away, with Valerie still inside the vehicle. The mother immediately ran back to their house, woke up her husband and told him about the incident. Alarmed, the man got into his car and gave chase. When he failed to find the taxicab, he went back to their house to pick up his wife. The mother later received a text message from Valerie, telling them that she was near a gas station from across the Lourdes Church on Retiro Street. The couple rushed to the area and found their daughter, with blood on her face, knees and clothes. After making sure that she could walk, the couple took Valerie back to their house where, in between sobs, she narrated her experience. She told them that after the cab driver drove away with her still in the back seat, he started ranting and repeatedly threatened to kill her. At the same time, she kept pleading with him to just let her out of the vehicle. Grabbed her hand
When the taxicab reached Retiro, Valerie said she opened the door and tried to jump out of the vehicle. The driver, however, reached into the back seat and grabbed her hand. With half of her body out of the car and her hand held by the taxi driver, Valerie said she was forced to run alongside the cab in order not to be run over by the vehicle.
When she finally managed to free her hand from the man’s grasp, she fell on the pavement and skinned her hands and knees. A truck suddenly appeared but luckily, it swerved and avoided hitting her.
A checkup showed that Valerie sustained multiple cuts on her chin that needed stitches. She also suffered injuries on her knees, face and foot. Quezon City Police District chief, Senior Supt. Magtanggol Gatdula, said that based on their investigation, the taxi cab’s license plate was originally issued to an Isuzu jeep belonging to Nicolas and Wilma Perez who live in Pagasa, Quezon City. He added that he has ordered operatives of the QCPD Criminal Investigation and Detective Unit to probe the case in coordination with the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. “We are coordinating with other government agencies to get the identity of the taxi driver and arrest him,” Gatdula told the Inquirer. HERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO
The father of Valerie has these tips to parents and children: Tell your kids to be very careful when riding cabs. Note down the name and plate number of the taxi he/she rides on. Bring extra bills or loose change for the fare. Keep extra load in one’s cell phone to be able to call for help in case of emergency. | 
