Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL noe 487 487

Introduced by Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Taxis have become a convenient mode of transportation and ought to be normally safe, fast,
clean, and private compared to mass transport systems like jeepneys, AUVs, vans, and buses.
Taxis cater to customers from all walks of life and provide some special needs since they are
allowed to go through any route around the vast metropolis. Fares or fees paid to taxi service
are relatively higher than of the mass passenger type but stil are reasonable enough since the
same is regulated by the LTFRB.

However, in recent memory, the taxi service has become a perceived threat to one’s personal
safety, convenience, and needs when there has been a string of cases where taxi drivers turn
themselves into hold-uppers, rapists, thieves, and murderers in some cases. And for law
enforcement authorities, tracking them has been a truly complex and difficult job since no
system has yet been invented to deter these unscrupulous criminal elements masquerading as
legitimate taxi drivers. LTO and LTFRB are helpless to stop or mitigate this criminal pattern of
activities by lawless drivers.

Perhaps, the problem is rooted on the fact that someone with a professional driver's license
seems the only qualification to be hired or employed as a taxi driver. And the number of taxis
‘owned by a multitude of different owners compared to those corporate-types that own and
operate fleet of taxis, it has render it truly impossible to police the ranks of these taxi drivers in a
way that would have effectively make such criminal activities impossible from being committed
against the very passengers that they are supposed to serve or cater to.

Thus, threats to life and limb and crimes against persons and crimes against property continue
to rise as long as the taxi service is infested with these criminal-type elements that use taxis as
vehicle or means to achieve lawless ends. It has gone from bad to worse when we heard cases
where taxi drivers even snatch the bags of pedestrians walking down the streets. Metro Manila
has never been spared from this continuing threat and it is anathema to urbanization in a now
modern network society.

It is all in this light that this humble representation proposes a rigid, fool-proof, SYSTEM OF
ACCREDITATION by all taxi drivers to be administered by the Philippine National Police
preferably the PNP Highway Patrol Group. Only in this way will the problem be effectively
curbed and totally solved since this bill contemplates corresponding penalties/punishments
against such erring taxi drivers. This is so since the threat reasonably call s for such solution. At


no time shall a vital service provider be a threat to metro or urban development, to its
inhabitants, local constituents or foreigners alike, and to its general population in the whole.

With one sad case too many, the immediate passage of this measure is therefore logically
sought and let the other House Members be enjoined in its early passage.

[TO CASTELO


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL nok 487

Introduced by Rep. Precious Hipolito Castelo

AN ACT
IMPOSING SEVERE PENALTIES FOR TAX! DRIVERS WHO ARE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN
THE COMMISSION OF VARIOUS CRIMES THEREBY AUTHORIZING THE PNP HIGHWAY
PATROL GROUP TO INSTITUTE A SYSTEM OF ACCREDITATION FOR ALL DRIVERS IN
THE TAXI SERVICE AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES:

Be it enacted in the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines
in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as the “Taxi Service Accreditation System Act.”

SEC. 2. The Philippine National Police through its Highway Patrol Group is hereby
authorized to institute a System of Accreditation for all drivers in the taxi service with the end in
view of professionalizing this vital service sector for the safety of all persons against crimes
committed with the use of taxi or under guise of being legitimate taxi drivers.

SEC. 3. Toward this end, the PNP Highway Patrol Group shall institute process,
procedures, and systems to effectively carry out the intent of a highly reliable System of
Accreditation. Under such system, all taxi drivers must be accredited with the PNP Highway
Patrol Group, issued an ID with security-proof features, and are bound to follow the guidelines
as maybe set forth by the police agency.

SEC. 4. Taxi drivers others found to have committed crimes and other forms of
lawlessness such as but not limited to, hold-up, rape, theft, serious physical injury, poisoning
and other such crimes directly or indirectly to their passengers thus posing grave threat,
damage or injury to life and limb shall be dealt with accordingly with the following contemplated
penalties:

a) semi-permanent revocation of driver's license for a period of ten (10) years until lifted
by the PNP Highway Patrol Group

b) permanent or perpetual revocation/cancellation of driver's license without prejudice to
the filing of appropriate criminal charges and imposition of corresponding penalties thereof


SEC. 5. This Act shall take effect upon its publication in the Official Gazette and in at least
three (3) newspapers of general circulation and within a period of sixty (60) days upon its
approval.

Approved,