Authorities search for the taxi driver who overcharged SEVENTEEN's Joshua

Airport authorities announced on Oct. 12 that they are tracking the taxi driver who allegedly overcharged K-pop singer and SEVENTEEN boy band member Joshua Hong during his stay in the Philippines. 

According to Korean broadcaster SBS, Hong shared in a livestream that he was charged “three times more than the usual fare” by a taxi driver during a trip to the Philippines to spend his Chuseok holiday vacation with his mother in September. 

“We got into a taxi, thinking that they would accept cards. But it was cash-only. I panicked so much. The taxi driver asked for like a thousand something in the Philippine Peso, and I later found out that I had paid like three times more,” he said.  

As reported by ABS-CBN News, the incident is now being handled by Manila International Airport Authority. MIAA Spokesperson Connie Bungag explained that they would coordinate with the Bureau of Immigration to identify the last month's flight of the K-pop idol as airport taxis have a systematic queueing system, under which details of the passengers are documented.  

Bungag added that violators' driver's licenses are confiscated and turned over to the Land Transportation Office (LTO) for formal legal disposition. 

The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) released an official statement condemning the incident and warned PUV drivers to stop overcharging passengers, especially foreign travelers. 

The agency urged the public to report incidents through the LTFRB 24/7 hotline 1342, through the agency’s Official Facebook Page and Facebook messenger or email at [email protected] so complaints could be acted upon.

Despite the incident, Hong clarified that the Philippines is a good place to visit.  

Joshua Hong is a member of the famous K-pop group Seventeen who had their successful ‘Be The Sun' concerts in Manila on Oct. 8 and 9.