LTFRB to issue show cause order vs PUJ driver who body-shamed passenger

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will issue a show cause order to the jeepney driver who allegedly body-shamed a passenger.  

GMA's Oscar Oida reported on Monday that the passenger filed a complaint with the LTFRB to teach the driver a lesson.

The jeepney driver allegedly demanded her to disembark the jeepney for being overweight.

“Rinig ko po 'yung asawa ng jeepney driver na ayaw niya ng matabang pasahero, pababain daw po ako,” the female passenger said in an interview with Super Radyo dzBB.

(I hear the jeepney driver’s wife told him she did not want a fat passenger and I should get off the jeepney.)

“Ako dinedma ko lang kasi si tatay baka pagod na gusto ng kabiruan. Na-realize ko na hindi na pala siya biro kasi iba-iba na, tuloy-tuloy na pag-discriminate,” she added.

(I just brushed it off because the jeepney driver might be tired and he just wanted to joke around. I realized that it was not a joke anymore when he continuously criticized me.)

The jeepney driver also said the 29-year-old passenger's weight was the reason the tires of their old jeepney went flat.

“Hindi naman ako ‘yun kasi first time ko lang sila makakasalamuha at first time ko din makasakay sa jeep nila,” the passenger said.

(I’m not the person they are referring to since it is my first time to see them and to ride their jeepney.)

The discrimination temporarily stopped when her fellow passengers told the driver that his words would cause him to lose his jeepney franchise.

The passenger offered to pay for all the vacant seats of the jeepney since it was raining when the driver once again demanded her to disembark. 

“Ang takbo nila ay parang may libing kasi gusto niya talaga ako pababain at nag-attempt din po siya tumayo sa kanyang kinauupuan para lapitan ako,” the passenger said.

(The jeepney is moving as if there is a burial because the driver really wanted me to disembark. He also attempted to leave the driver's seat to approach me.)

Fellow victims reached out to the passenger as the incident was caught on video and went viral on social media platforms. 

The passenger said neither the jeepney driver nor the operator reached out to her to apologize. 

However, she is willing to forgive them for her peace of mind. 

LTFRB will also issue a show cause order to the jeepney’s operator to ask for an explanation.

They may face charges of unjust discrimination and lack of courtesy.—Mariel Celine Serquiña/AOL, GMA Integrated News