Public Advisory: Beware of D' Avis Taxis/Cabs

I was Facebooking earlier when I saw this post. I thought of sharing this for the safety of all ladies out there.

"Ladies, if you ride cabs often at whatever time of the day, please TAKE EXTRA CARE. DO NOT ride D'AVIS cabs to save your life. ALWAYS READ the posts...on Facebook so you would know the M.O.'s of the cab drivers. That's exactly how I detected that something was wrong while I was inside the cab. I read a post on facebook about a lady who had a horrifying experience with an old cab driver and his hanky/wash cloth modus operandi. This is what happened to me:

Securit advisory from Shell

"I hailed the dreaded DAVIS cab along H.V. Dela Costa St., around 5:15 p.m. today on my way to another recording in a studio along Amorsolo St., roughly 5-10 mins. away. Upon boarding, nothing seemed wrong except the way the old man drove. He seemed a little 'off', taking his sweet time and then suddenly jolting to speed up. I chalked up his driving skills to his age, since he was around 60-70 years old. The next thing I noticed was a plastic bottle on the floor beside the driver's seat. I had a hunch that I was in for something unpleasant but chose to sit still and continue my ride. Another 5 mins. more and things started to get shady. Out of nowhere, the driver took out a red, worn-out wash cloth ('bimpo') and started playing with it. He kept twirling it in front of the aircon, and would at times act as if he was drying it. I already knew that it was the same MO the other lady victim experienced.

"My first reaction was to open my window so I could at least delay the effect of the drug until I found the best time to get off. He saw me open the window and continued twirling the cloth in front of the aircon with more urgency. I was slowly feeling the effects of the drug: my lungs were slowly relaxing, my breath was starting to get shallow making it harder to breathe, my throat felt like it was closing in, my legs were starting to feel numb and the sensation of immobility was creeping in. It's similar to what you feel when you're under general anesthesia. At that point, in between the intersection of Ayala and Dela Costa, the driver leaned sideways (covering the gap between the two seats) and was fiddling with something (not really sure what) in front of the aircon.

"At this time, I really felt like it was now or never. I got P100 from my wallet and semi-handed/threw the money in front and told him, "Ito bayad mama, baba na ako." While doing this, my other hand was already opening the door of the cab in the middle of the Ayala intersection. I didn't care if the cab was still moving, I JUST HAD TO GET OFF. Thank God that traffic was a bit congested and the driver had no choice but to slow down. He tried to stop me and said, "Bawal bumaba diyan! Mahuhuli ako!" In my mind, "Mabuti na yun, kaysa mamatay ako!".

"When I finally got out, my knees and legs felt like jell-o. I had to muster enough strength not to collapse in the middle of Ayala. That's when it hit me - I really had a close call. God knows where I'd be if I didn't get out of the cab just in the nick of time. Praise God for His protection and His guidance. Thank God for sparing me from a horrifying ordeal in the hands of opportunists.

"It pays to be aware, informed and alert. I hope sharing this experience will prevent more women from falling prey to the hands of scheming people. Have a safe and blessed night. Take extra care, dear friend."