(Eagle News) – Transport Network Companies on Wednesday agreed to the mandatory opening of the packages of their passengers to ensure they do not contain any contraband.
Grab, Uber, and U-Hop also agreed to ask their passengers for any identification, based on a memorandum of agreement the companies signed with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
“It’s mandatory, kahit anong klaseng package ‘yan dapat buksan…Io-open nung driver sa harapan ng sender…Bago niya open, please give me your identification,” PDEA chief Director General Aaron Aquino said in a press conference.
He said if the sender refused to show any identification or open the package, the TNC driver would refuse to send the item.
Intel
Under the agreement, TNCs would also be required to report any intelligence information to authorities.
Aquino said this would be a big help to law enforcers, who are waging a war against drugs, based on a directive by President Rodrigo Duterte.
The agreement between the TNCs and PDEA was signed following reports of their vehicles being used as drug couriers.