Philippine Government Warns Taxi Drivers Against Overcharging Customers After SEVENTEEN's Joshua Was Scammed By One Of Them

SEVENTEEN‘s Joshua made headlines last September when it was revealed that he had spontaneously visited the Philippines with his mother.

SEVENTEEN’s Joshua | *@joshu_acoustic/Instagram*

He was spotted in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, by CARATs who just happened to be there as well. They kept silent about it for several days in order to give him privacy during his time off.

His visit coincided with the Chuseok holiday of South Korea, leading many to guess that he was there to celebrate thanksgiving while on break from the group’s Be The Sun world tour.

I went on a trip with my mom recently. We were actually initially planned to go to Da Nang, Vietnam, but we ended up going to Manila, the Philippines, and a lot of things happened there.

— Joshua

we talked to him around 2-3 am 3 nights ago! we still actually cant believe it! we were just casually party-ing ! IT WAS SO SURREAL! we kept this for so long and it was so HARD we didnt post it cause he was really enjoying the private time wd her mom @M0N0RKlVE @jjkjwon @briixxie pic.twitter.com/5ENvOsnsFP

— aly (@forkoojin) September 14, 2022

A few weeks later, he became a hot topic once more when he revealed the full story behind his trip. He apparently had a rough time from start to finish.

On the day of our trip, we headed to the airport. While we were checking in, the staff asked us, ‘You have visa to Vietnam, right?’ I didn’t. When I was planning our trip, there was nothing about visa anywhere. It turned out that I searched things on a Korean site and Koreans didn’t need visa to go to Vietnam, but I did, as I’m American. I had totally forgotten that I wasn’t Korean.

So, we couldn’t go to Vietnam. I blew like 3.5 million won on that day. Since we were already at the airport, I thought we should still try to go somewhere. The closest flight with seats was a flight to Manila, so we decided to go there instead.

— Joshua

This is where he made the mistake of not having the local currency on hand as soon as he arrived.

We didn’t have time to exchange our money and stuff, because our flight was taking off soon. We thought we’ll be able to sort it out once we get there.

— Joshua

It caused him much stress when he realized he could not withdraw money from any automated teller machines (ATMs) nearby. The taxi ride he chose to get from the airport to the hotel exacerbated this when the driver firmly said he could not pay with his credit card.

There were like six of [ATMs], but none of them worked. We were like, ‘Okay, then. Let’s find a hotel, then check in to it first. We’ll withdraw money near the hotel or something.’ We got into a taxi, thinking that they would accept cards. But it was cash-only. I panicked so much.

— Joshua

The driver of the public utility vehicle ended up scamming him with the final bill. Joshua paid roughly $70 USD for something that would normally cost a third of the price.

The taxi driver asked for like a thousand something in the Philippine Peso, and I later found out that I had paid like three times more. Gosh.

— Joshua

On October 8, the Philippine authority in charge of regulating public transportation issued a warning against drivers of such vehicles.

The LTFRB (Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board) reminded them to not rip off their passengers no matter if they are Filipinos or tourists: “Kailanman ay hindi katanggap-tanggap sa LTFRB ang ganitong panloloko ng mga PUV drivers sa kanilang mga pasahero—lokal man o dayuhan.”

The LTFRB does not tolerate any form of fraud by PUV drivers on their passengers—whether they are locals or foreigners.

— LTFRB Statement

If found guilty, drivers as well as the companies that operate their fleets could be fined. Their certificate of public convenience—a franchise that grants permission to operate—could be revoked as well.