BY JEFFREY DAMICOG
The Department of Justice (DoJ) is set to investigate the alleged discrimination against a child with special needs at the Plantation Bay Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu recently.
“As chief enforcer of the magna carta for disabled persons, the DoJ will conduct a parallel investigation of the Plantation Bay incident,” Justice Sec. Menardo Guevarra said on Friday.
Guevarra said he has already received on Thursday the request of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat for an investigation into the incident.
In the meantime, Guevarra said he has yet to decide whether to ask the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to also conduct the investigation.
“We have yet to determine the most expedient way to handle the situation,” the secretary said.
“Our action in this regard may set a precedent for similar situations in the future,” he pointed out.
Recently, a mother with an autistic child wrote a review of the resort on TripAdvisor where she wrote that the property is not an ideal for a child with special needs.
She said lifeguards repeatedly called them out when her son squealed with delight while the boy was trying to swim in the pool area.
“It’s a discriminating experience. We often get this a lot. When normal people who are ignorant of people with special needs, give us that stare of please control your child,” read the review of Mai Pages.
“I will never consider staying here ever again. No luxury of this proportion can make this experience okay because that is not what we need. We need a friendly and empathetic environment for kids and families with special needs,” she added.
In a now deleted reply, Manny Gonzales, resident shareholder of the resort accused Pages of lying, citing that uncontrolled shouting is not a sign of autism.
He later issued an apology after social media users, including celebrities, expressed sympathy toward the mother and her child, and called out Gonzales for his insensitive reply.
“I was wrong to question the mother’s motives and deeply regret leaving the impression that we are not supportive of the community of parents with children who have special needs,” he said in a statement.
“Our hotel’s policy on keeping noise levels down in the pool and at the restaurants is geared toward safety and relaxation for all guests. We try to apply this policy even-handedly,” he added.
