CEBU, Philippines - Police arrested a taxi driver for claiming to be the owner of a driver’s license which belongs to another taxi driver.
Berlito “Lito” Bautista, 31, driver of the Cool taxi is now detained at the Mandaue City Police station 1 after he was caught using a driver’s license owned by Eprain Labrador Mayordo.
Bautista went to the police last Sunday to report that he was robbed by three men in barangay Alang-alang, Mandaue City.
The police found out Bautista was not Mayordo after the real Mayordo appeared at the Investigation and Detection Management Bureau (IDMB) office last Wednesday morning to say the local dailies have named him as the driver that was robbed.
Mayordo said that last October he lost his driver’s license while drinking with his brother’s friends, including Bautista.
After he lost his wallet with the license and money in it, he didn’t report it to the police but instead just applied for an affidavit of loss to have a new license.
Bautista was arrested and brought to the IDMB Office after he reported back for work yesterday dawn.
IDMB Chief P Sr./Insp Rex Lomente said a case of falsification of public documents has been prepared against Bautista as they are still studying other cases which they could file against him.
With these latest development, taxi operators have been warned by the police to check the authenticity of taxi drivers’ licenses.
Senior Supt. Noel Gillamac, city director of Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO) claimed that it’s now easy to tamper licenses. – (FREEMAN)