Pasay City Mayor Antonino Calixto appealed for vigilance among commuters, particularly those who take taxis, after a teenage girl was kidnapped and raped by a taxi driver and his companion.
The suspects have been arrested in a series of follow up operations, according to the mayor.
In a statement, Calixto advised commuters to take note of the license plate of the taxis they are about to ride. They should inform someone, whether a family member or a friend, of the license plate of the taxi they are riding as a precaution.
“So that if anything goes wrong, your loved ones already have the details. We all know that attackers prey on vulnerable persons,” the mayor said.
Commuters should also check the taxi before boarding to make sure no other person is inside. They should also get out of the taxi if the driver picks up another person, he pointed out.
“Also, look for someone you know who can accompany you when you get a taxi or make sure that there are witnesses around. Besides texting your family or friends, call them and tell them after you get in, tell them you’re on the way make the cab driver hear that someone is expecting you,” said Calixto.
The mayor’s warning came after a 15-year-old high school student was purportedly raped by two men after she rode the suspect’s taxi on July 20. The victim had just come from a beauty shop at Edsa-Taft when she hailed the taxi of the suspect, whom police identified as Edgar Leyros.
Leyros’ companion, Donato Bunguyan, stepped out of the vehicle and punched the victim in the stomach then stuffed her inside the car’s trunk, initial police investigation showed. Later on, the suspects moved the victim to the back seat where the men took turns raping the victim.
The suspects dropped her off in Pasig City, and the victim managed to call up her father, according to investigators.
Two days after, the victim’s father chanced upon the suspects, who were driving the taxi along Libertad Avenue, as he was about to bring his daughter to the Philippine General Hospital for examination.
He immediately called up the Pasay police and narrated what he saw. Authorities managed to hunt down Leyros by the end of the day, and arrested Bunguyan the next day.
Both men are facing charges of Forced Abduction with Rape.–MM
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Photo: Photophilia
