Choi Soobin of TXT Was Almost Scammed by a Taxi Driver in the Philippines
The K-pop idol shared his experience in his recent Cebu travel vlog.
by Kyla Villena
Published on Apr 2, 2026
On April 1, Choi Soobin surprised his supporters with a travel vlog from his visit to the Philippines. The member of the K-pop boy group Tomorrow x Together (TXT) headed to Cebu with a friend for a short vacation.
Soobin is fond of traveling, as seen in his frequent documentations of his trips, albeit his fans may argue that he's not exactly the best at it. His trip to Cebu was certainly memorable with the number of “chaotic” things that happened—booking the wrong time for their return flight, almost misplacing their room key, and going canyoneering while sleep-deprived.
He also shared his experiences of eating local dishes, meeting hospitable Filipinos, and even switching into full-on tourist mode by having a video taken by a human drone.
However, many of his supporters can’t help but notice a certain “embarrassing” situation.
Netizens React to a Taxi Driver’s Attempt to Scam TXT’s Soobin
After landing and gathering their suitcases, Soobin checked an app to get an idea of how much a taxi from the airport to their hotel would cost. The app gave an estimate of P300, and Soobin prepared to hail a cab.
“Just start acting angry if they tell us it’ll cost more than 300 pesos,” he said, recalling the “travel tip” of his fellow TXT member Kang Taehyun, who had visited the island before.
Soobin and his friend approached a taxi, whose driver offered a ride for P500, and their trip began. Inside the cab, the driver suddenly said, “The gas is very expensive.” Soobin’s friend, who also served as his translator, asked again for the fare, and they were taken aback when the driver doubled it to P1000.
The two travelers stood their ground and managed to get the price back to the initial agreement. The exact dates of Soobin’s trip were not disclosed, but fans presume it took place before the country's major oil price hike.
Soobin directed his attention to the camera, saying, “You heard that, right? I’m reporting this.” He also instructed the video editors not to remove the clips.
Filipino fans, endearingly called MOA, took to X to express their embarrassment, saying it was a difficult watch. Others also took the opportunity to thank Soobin for raising awareness of the issue.
Others also expressed concern about the country’s reputation, since this is not the first time a global artist has shared such an experience. Back in 2022, Joshua Hong of the K-pop boy group Seventeen spontaneously visited Manila for a vacation with his mother.
He revealed in a livestream that, after his trip, he found out he was charged “three times more.” He clarified, "I'm not saying that Manila is a bad place to travel. I'm just sharing my own experience, and that is what sort of thing could happen to you if you go on a trip without making any plans in advance."
Some netizens also shared that this happens to Filipinos traveling domestically, and if this continues, the country's tourism reputation could be greatly affected.
Kyla Villena loves a good lip gloss and a trip to the art gallery. She is Preview's beauty girl, who doubles as a self-proclaimed motivational speaker.