In light of social media posts reporting incidents of Bacolod City taxi drivers victimizing passengers with ‘taxi spray,’ when a noxious odor is sprayed inside the vehicle, leaving riders disoriented, the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) yesterday urged the public to report such incidents to the police instead of posting it on social media.

One such account claimed, while riding a taxi in Bacolod City recently, the victim began feeling sick and nearly collapsing after smelling an odor that appeared to be coming from the air-conditioning system. Another post reported a similar case, where the rider opened the window and eventually exited the taxi.

According to BCPO spokesperson, Police Senior Inspector Armilyn Vargas, authorities are unable to follow-up on such cases unless a formal blotter is filed with police.

She noted, such social media posts will only cause unnecessary panic.

Vargas also assured, taxi drivers can easily be tracked down as Bacolod City is not an expansive area./DGB, WDJ