Yesterday, we reported on the body shaming incident involving a student named Lanimae Joy Libo-on Mag-aro, which was carried out by a conductor of a modern jeepney in Bacolod City. In this incident, the conductor charged the student double fare due to her larger physique, causing embarrassment and trauma to the student.
In a post, a passenger corroborated this incident with her statement: I boarded one of your modernized jeeps at around 02:34 PM, September 20, 2023, from SM Bacolod to Homesite, my destination. But the vehicle stopped and parked in the Downtown area to pick up more passengers, and after a few moments, a student passenger (girl) boarded. We were all taken aback when the eJeep conductor used offensive language, saying phrases like, ‘You’re a student? Your fare is ₱22.00 because you’re big,’ ‘You take up two seats,’ and ‘You should pay for two fares.
“Nag sakay ko sa isa niyo ka modernized jeep with PLATE NO. FAN4710 at around 02:34 PM, September 20, 2023 from SM Bacolod to Homesite akon destination. But the vehicle stopped and parked in the Downtown area to get more passengers and a few moments passed by there was this Student passenger (girl) nga nagsaka and we were all surprised by the eJeep conductor’s foul mouth saying this phrase, “STUDENT KA? ₱22.00 IMO PLETE KAY KA DAKO SA IMO”, “DUWA NI DAAN SAKOP MO NGA PUNGKUAN”, “DUWA NI IMO PLETE YA”
She claimed to have boarded the said jeep with plate number FAN4710 at around 2:30 in the afternoon from SM to Homesite as her destination. Afterward, in the downtown area, more passengers were picked up, and that’s when the incident with the student occurred. She overheard the conductor questioning the student about the fare, using the same reasoning as the student had mentioned previously. She felt a surge of anger and unease upon hearing this, and other passengers were also surprised by the conductor’s behavior. As a result, the student alighted from the jeep due to embarrassment.
The passenger’s child, who was also on board, confronted the conductor and admonished him for his hurtful comments. She reminded him that he should be ashamed of what he said, especially since he knows where the company that pays his salary earns its income.
As a mother, the passenger empathized with the shame experienced by the student, which prompted her to contact RSJ Lines, Inc., the company involved, to request a review of the incident through the CCTV footage. She also shared her post in support of the Anti-Discrimination Bill, hoping that it would help the conductor understand the consequences of his actions.
As of now, there has been no response from the company regarding this incident or any potential complaint from the student. We hope this incident serves as a lesson, emphasizing the importance of not discriminating against our fellow citizens based on their appearance or gender.