Jane Camino
- Grab driver calls for justice after getting assaulted by a passenger
- Passenger beats up Grab driver upon returning his phone
People these days would rather choose to ride car-booking services like Grab and Uber instead of riding jeepneys or trains. Who wouldn’t, given that these car services are easy to book, convenient, and safe!
Riders can ride in peace and without any hint of sweat as they get to their destination.
However, safety shouldn’t only be on the side of the riders but on the drivers as well. After all, we wouldn’t be able to get to our destination without them.
This Grab driver calls for justice after a passenger accused him of stealing his phone and then beats him up.
The driver’s story
Grab driver, Armando Yabut, shared on a Facebook post how he got assaulted by a male passenger for returning a phone he left on his car. According to the 30-year-old driver, his passenger rode his car on February 9 at around 12:20 am. While on the trip, the passenger asked him to let him charge his phone on the car. Based on Yabut, he just gave him a connector to the charging post of the car and he didn’t even look where Simon had put his phone. Once they reached the drop-off destination in Kamuning, Quezon City, he didn’t notice that Simon left his phone when he got off.
After the drop-off, Yabut planned on going straight home to Taytay, Rizal but he got another rider going to Tiendesitas, Pasig City. The other passenger also seemed not to notice the phone was left by the previous passenger so Yabut was still unaware of the said phone. After the last passenger, Yabut went straight home and upon checking the car, that’s when he found Simon’s phone in the drink holder at the back seat.
“Ang ginawa ko ay kinunan ko ng picture yung naiwan na cellphone at tumawag ako sa Grab hotline para itanong kung paano isasauli yung cellphone,” said Yabut on an online interview with him.
He immediately informed the Grab office about the left behind phone and asked them to track the details of the phone owner so he could give it back.
“Nag-usap kami sa phone at sinabi ko na naiwan nya yung cellphone nya at di ko sya matawagan dahil wala akong contact number nya sa profile pero inireport ko na sa Grab hotline ang insidente,” Yabut explained.
“Sabi nya, ‘okay lang, pwedeng pakihatid ngayon mismo sa bahay ko sa Kamuning yung cellphone’, pero nakiusap ako na kung pwede ay bukas nalang dahil nasa bahay na ako sa Taytay, Rizal, “said Yabut.
However, the passenger insisted that it is important to have his phone back and even offered to pay his gas for the drive back to Kamuning.
“Sinabi ko sa kanya na hindi na (kailangan ng bayad) at ihahatid ko nalang yung cellphone at uuwi na agad ako.”
On good faith, Yabut drove back to Kamuning, where he dropped the passenger off, to give his phone back. Along the way, he and the passenger were even talking on the phone with the latter asking him every now and then on where he is.
“Sinasabi ko kung nasaan na talaga ako at ginagarantyahan ko na papunta talaga akong ng Kamuning,” said Yabut.
Yabut was complacent that everything will go well because the passenger appeared to be very kind and accommodating to him on the phone. However, when he got to the location at around 2:oo am to give the phone back, that’s when things turned around.
“Lumabas sya sa gate at ako naman lumabas ng sasakyan na nakangiti at sinabi ko na ‘sir, eto na po yung cellphone nyo’ at iniaabot ko sa kanya pero sumagot sya na ‘KANINONG CELLPHONE YAN?’ tapos pinagbintangan nya ako na pinag-iinteresan ko raw cellphone nya at magnanakaw raw ako,” Yabut said.
Based on Yabut’s story, before he could even react on the passenger’s accusations, he is already strangling him.
“Bigla nya akong hinatak mula sa batok at sinakal niya ako kaya hirap ako huminga… tapos ay hinatak nya ako sa may tatlong kolektor ng basura at sinabi nya na ‘MAGNANAKAW ITO’, sinuntok nya ako sa ulo ng maka-ilang ulit at doon nag-blurred ang paningin ko,” said Yabut.
“Tapos pinatid nya ang mga paa ko para matumba ako, napahiga ako sa semento at ang ginawa niya ay hinawakan nya yung mukha ko at idiniin niya ako sa semento,” he further explained.
“Hindi ako nagmagandang loob para masaktan, nagkataon na may dumating na dalawang pulis at yung pulis ang nagpayo na magreklamo ako,” added Yabut.
Based on Yabut, that is when the passenger became different and just asked him to settle what happened. The passenger said sorry and reasoned out that he only did it out of temper. When Yabut said that he wanted to still file the case to the barangay, the passenger became angry again and threatened him saying, “ah ganun, gusto mo talagang tuluyan kita ah, sige tutuluyan kita.”
In the Barangay office
In front of the barangay officials, that is when the passenger turned the story around again and accused him of stealing his phone.
“Nung dinala kami sa barangay, ay siya pa ang naging complainant at ako ang naging akusado sa bintang na pagnanakaw na hindi ko naman ginawa. Sinoli ko nga yung cellphone nya at hindi ito ninakaw.”
Reportedly, the driver has already undergone medical examinations and CT scan and luckily the results were negative.
“Yung mata ko lang po may problema kasi may pumutok na ugat,” said Yabut.
UPDATE: Yabut already reported the incident to the Grab office and is already doing some actions. After getting medical examinations, Yabut also went back to Kamuning Police station to file his complaints. Reportedly, there will be a session at the Justice hall of Quezon City at 1 pm on February 12, Monday.
Yabut calls for help and for justice to be served.
What do you think about this?
