‘Taxi con’ welcome for visitors

I just finished reading Ramon Tulfo’s column titled “An incompetent airport manager” (Metro, 6/21/13).

It’s not just inside the airport that the management is incompetent. I flew into the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on the night of June 9 and took a taxi from the official public taxi stand. The driver tried to charge me P1,300 in addition to the fare and tolls for the short trip to Alabang at 11 p.m. for a “Muntinlupa entry fee.”

I’m a frequent Manila visitor and every time I arrive here, the taxi driver from the official stand at the airport tries to extort money from me through various scams. It’s an absolute disgrace that the first welcome visitors get when they arrive in Manila is an attempt to steal money from them. This creates an immediate impression that the Philippines is a country of con artists and thieves.

Because the “taxi con” happens every time I fly into Manila, I assume it must be happening with the knowledge and, therefore, tacit consent of the airport manager.

I love the Philippines and its people and all my other experiences here have been positive, but I’m disgusted that this is the welcome I get when I arrive, and it leaves a very sour taste in my mouth.

—NEIL ANDERSON,

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