Nagpaliwanag si Jude Bacalso tungkol sa viral photo sa social media na pinagalitan umano niya at pinatayo ng dalawang oras ang isang waiter ng isang restaurant sa Cebu.
Sa naturang viral photo, makikitang nakaupo ang Cebu-based personality at LGBTQ+ community member na si Bacalso, habang nakatayo sa kaniyang harapan ang waiter.
Sa tawag sa telepono, ipinaliwanag ni Bacalso sa GMA News Online, na tinanong niya ang waiter kung gusto nitong maupo at magpahinga.
"He shook his head and remained standing," sabi ni Bacalso. "I didn't say 'stay there.' I also didn't demand."
Binatikos ng netizens si Bacalso kamakailan matapos umanong pagalitan ang waiter dahil sa pagtawag nito sa kaniya ng "sir."
Pero inamin ni Bacalso na, "It was an honest mistake on his [the wait staff's] part."
"There was no malice. I knew there was no malice. So I took it as an opportunity to educate," saad ni Bacalso.
Nagibibigay umano siya ng "gender sensitivity information" sa waiter nang isang netizen ang kinunan silang dalawa ng larawan.
Dagdag pa ni Bacalso, "It was a calm conversation between us," at sinabing nagbibigay siya ng impormasyon "not in a loud and berating manner."
Sa Facebook nitong Lunes, naglabas ng pahayag si Bacalso, na nagsadaad na, "I did not demand that the waiter stand for the whole length of time."
"It was he who chose to stand in front of me as we waited for input from management, who I attempted to contact," paliwanag niya.
Ayon kay Bacalso, nakausap na niya ang pamunuan ng restaurant kaugnay ng insidente. Pero wala umano ang waiter nang sandaling iyon.
Pero nandoon umano ang isang crew member at store supervisor na nandoon din nang mangyari ang insidente noong Linggo.
"After each one of us aired our sides, I am happy to share that we have agreed to pursue together more inclusive practices in the restaurant," ani Bacalso.
Tiniyak din niya ang paghingi ng paumanhin "to the rest of the staff who are disheartened by the way things have escalated, as well as to the customers present at that time."
"This is a huge chunk of humble pie that I must ingest, because I have erred," dagdag niya. "May we start here with, as the supervisor pointed out, an uphill path to reconciliation."
Sa kaniyang pahayag, sinabi ni Bacalso na, "I could have done with a little measure of kindness, sadly quite absent in the ruckus this has all unnecessarily created when it was made public without our knowledge."
"I made a personal apology to the group present, and requested if I may do so for the concerned waiter. I am also making it very public with this post, as it has become quite public fodder," patuloy niya.
Pahayag ng resto
Samantala, naglabas din ng pahayag nitong Lunes ang Cebu restaurant na Ulli's Streets of Asia, kaugnay ng nangyaring insidente.
Sinabi ng Ulli's na nakipag-usap na sila sa kanilang mga tauhan para ipaalam sa kanila na ang pangangalaga sa kanilang kapakanan ang kanilang prayoridad.
"Likewise, we express our apologies to our guests. Your concerns are well noted and will help us move forward towards a better customer experience," sabi ng Ulli's, at idinagdag na "discrimination has no place in our restaurant."
Sa sumunod na pahayag, sinabi ng pamunuan ng restaurant, suportado nila ang kanilang kawani na sangkot sa insidente.
"We aim to provide a safe and respectful environment for both our guests and our people," saad ng Ullli's, kasabay ng pagtiyak na gumagawa sila ng hakbang "to better handle these situations moving forward."
--Jamil Santos/FRJ, GMA Integrated News
