Araneta Center Restaurant on Hot Seat after Refusing to Serve Bisaya-Speaking Customers
If you think racism in the Philippines does not exist then you might be shocked after reading this news.
Three people native of Bacolod City filed a formal complaint at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), office in Quezon City against a restaurant inside Araneta Center for refusing them to serve because they were speaking bisaya.
Businessmen Arturo Blanco and his personal assistant Mildred Sebastian was meeting a fellow businessman at Steakhouse Express along Aurora Boulevard on Monday. The two waited for around 10 minutes when Anthony Sebastian arrived and the three started making orders.
All three speaks Hiligaynon and for some reason, the waiter who was taking their order reported to her supervisor that she hardly understanding them because they are speaking “bisaya”.
The supervisor then told the three customers that none of their ordered menus was available and they are free to leave.
“Hindi namin siya (waiter) kinakausap ng Ilonggo. Kami ang nag-uusap sa isa’t isa at nagtatanungan kung ano ang oorderin naming”, Mildred said on her affidavit.
The supervisor, who is at the time of this writing is still unidentified, reportedly told them to leave because they are speaking bisaya and their waiters cannot understand them.
The three filed a complaint the following day. DTI legal counsel Atty. Tomas Diokno said this is the first time his office receive such unique complaint involving language discrimination.
Diokno said they already contacted the management of the said restaurant and asked for their side, but the three are willing to bring the case to the next level.
In US, this problem is common among white and black people, but here in the Philippines, this is the first time that someone has been discriminated and denied service because his language is different.
Araneta Center is owned by the family of former DTI secretary Manual “Mar” Roxas – a Hiligaynon speaking family from Negros and Panay.
“The supervisor had no idea what she was doing. Her ignorance could cost her job. We were talking Hiligaynon to each other and not Bisaya”, Blanco said.
Three people native of Bacolod City filed a formal complaint at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), office in Quezon City against a restaurant inside Araneta Center for refusing them to serve because they were speaking bisaya.
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All three speaks Hiligaynon and for some reason, the waiter who was taking their order reported to her supervisor that she hardly understanding them because they are speaking “bisaya”.
The supervisor then told the three customers that none of their ordered menus was available and they are free to leave.
“Hindi namin siya (waiter) kinakausap ng Ilonggo. Kami ang nag-uusap sa isa’t isa at nagtatanungan kung ano ang oorderin naming”, Mildred said on her affidavit.
The supervisor, who is at the time of this writing is still unidentified, reportedly told them to leave because they are speaking bisaya and their waiters cannot understand them.
The three filed a complaint the following day. DTI legal counsel Atty. Tomas Diokno said this is the first time his office receive such unique complaint involving language discrimination.
Diokno said they already contacted the management of the said restaurant and asked for their side, but the three are willing to bring the case to the next level.
In US, this problem is common among white and black people, but here in the Philippines, this is the first time that someone has been discriminated and denied service because his language is different.
Araneta Center is owned by the family of former DTI secretary Manual “Mar” Roxas – a Hiligaynon speaking family from Negros and Panay.
“The supervisor had no idea what she was doing. Her ignorance could cost her job. We were talking Hiligaynon to each other and not Bisaya”, Blanco said.
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It makes my blood boil whenever I hear some tagalog speaking person, discriminate against a bisaya, or for any ethnic group, for that matter, there are no, manilenyo that is pure in blood..most of them have their roots and ancestors from visayas.....the illustrados are long gone, they have intermarried with bisayan....so what is this ellitistic mentality.. of the so called tagalog speaking manilenyos....just because you have a very limited vocabulary skills, you will hide trough your arrogance.....only STUPID and IDIOTS do that, and I recon you are one of them
ReplyDeleteincidentally, NOT all "Tagalog-speaking" people in metro Manila are REAL Tagalogs from the Tagalog region.. they only speak Tagalog because that's the common means of understandable communication in the metro.. if we, from western Visayas speak our own Hiligaynon language (or whatever language for that matter) here, that should be NONE of their fuckin' business!..
ReplyDeleteCALLING ALL FILIPINOS that made their comments, feelings, opinions known to everyone.
ReplyDeleteYou know, it is not right to generalize. Every Ethnic groups in the Philippines have all of what some of you are saying about Tagalogs..
We have a diverse population now.
Some of the Tagalog now, were not really Tagalog then. LOT OF THE PEOPLE FROM THE PROVINCES have migrated to Manila, married and had children. And many from different cities in Manila or Luzon went to Visayas and Mindaao and settled thsre.
It is verg counter pfoductive to lay all our frustrations and bad experiences on the Tagalogs because of the stupid waiter and manager.
Let their stupidity find them. I am sure the ilonggo spdaking Roxas- Araneta would have something to say about it.
But what happe ned here, got the better of us. I myself was amused at the reactions of people. It is full of vitriol. I am sure most of it are true bt e,petoence but those things should have been forgiven.
How many of you have been to church to ask forgiveness of your sins? Don't carry that load of prejudice anger, hurt, etc. Lay it all in Jesus feet. FODGIVE AND REPENT.
WE have been given a chance to redeem the country from CORRUPTION AND DRUGS. Don't lst those negativities separate one from anotjer. In UNITY THETE IS STRENGTH.
China is at your feet. Filipinos MUST UNITE.ONE fhing going for FILIPINOS is that GOD is on our side. But uf we act ljke the way we do here, we do not deserve God's LOVE.
LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
LOVE GOD and LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR just as YOU LOVE YOURSELF.
CHEERS. MAY GOD BLESS US ALL..
my mother is from ilocos region and my father is from visayas, ako ipinanganak sa luzon hindi ako marunong mag visaya hindi ako marunong mag ilocano, tagalog lang natutunan ko. pagkakamali ng isa hindi pagkakamali ng lahat!
DeleteHiligaynon is still Bisaya
ReplyDeleteBisdak ako! Ayaw ko sana magbigay komento tungkol nito. Ngunit, di ko maiwasan dahil may nakalungkot na karanasan din ako noong napunta ako sa maynila. May mga tao talagang mayabang at mataas ang tingin sa sarili. Kung totoo ito, sana magisip-isip sila dahil tapos na ang kaharian ng "imperial manila"! Lalo na ang ating pangulo ay bisdak din, ang una galing Mindanao! Kaya nga siya ay tumakbo para sa tunay na pagbabago. At gibain ang estraktura ng "imperial manila", ang kaharian ng mga korapt, elitista, manhid, walang pakialam at walang alam na mga tao.
ReplyDelete