Grab PHL: Strict delivery protocols in place before Quiapo blast

Grab Philippines on Wednesday insisted that it has stringent protocols for its GrabExpress parcels delivery system following two deadly blasts in Quiapo, Manila last week.

One of the bombs had been in the parcel the GrabExpress driver had delivered to the area. Both the driver and the recipient were killed.

“The terms of use require riders to inspect the items for delivery and to refuse delivery of sealed packages that customers decline to open," Grab Philippines spokesperson and public affairs manager Leo Gonzales said in a statement.

“Grab will enforce more strictly the rejection of all sealed packages for GE delivery, reinforcing the existing protocol on opening and inspecting all parcels prior to delivery,” he added.

Gonzales made the statement after the Philippine National Police said the company should ensure that packages sent through its delivery service are not harmful.

"Sana nga on the part of the company maging maingat... Hopefully Grab will do an initial check, a probing question, probably a document they can sign, a declaration, and establish the true identity of the sender para may babalikan tayo," PNP spokesperson Sr. Supt. Dionardo Carlos said at a news conference in Camp Crame on Tuesday.

Gonzales said that assumptions such as the rider's not checking the parcel could not be made yet.

“The circumstances of the package and its delivery are part of the on-going investigation, so we can’t comment on that. What we can emphasize is the protocol we trained our riders to follow,” he said.

Gonzales also stressed that Grab regularly reviews protocols and updates its training materials.

“Even before the Quiapo incident, Grab has been in talks with the PNP Highway Patrol Group for an anti-crime, anti-drug partnership campaign, which involves training of Grab drivers in spotting suspicious activities and reporting it to proper authorities,” he said.

“Grab also reminds its partners to be extra vigilant and attentive to suspicious activities, encouraging GE partners to immediately report any dubious users and accounts,” he added.

Gonzales said that Grab's management has decided to close down accounts directly linked to the Quiapo incident, and to mark any account with similar user profiles.

"As previously expressed, Grab will work closely with the authorities to put the perpetrator of Quiapo bombing behind bars," he said. — BM, GMA News