Yaya Meal at Balesin Resort Angers Pinoys on Facebook : TechPinas Social Media Stories Series
Various blogs have already covered this story since it hit the web yesterday, April 4, 2015. A related entry posted on Facebook by Definitely Filipino has gotten 6,987 likes and 1,280 shares as of 4:05 PM, April 5, 2015.
Gist: Model/Beauty Queen/Lifestyle Blogger Maggie Wilson-Consunji and family went to 'Balesin Island Club' in Polilio, Quezon to cap off the Holy Week only to learn that the exclusive resort serves separate meals for yayas aka 'Yaya Meal' and has a 'No Credit Card, No Food' policy. Bothered by an incident where the waiter specifically pointed out the existence of such meal in front of her mother, son, and nanny, Maggie took to Facebook and shared bits of the experience.
Supporting Content [source]:
Notable Comments by Filipinos on Facebook [source]:
"The fact that they had to put the word "yaya" on the menu is discrimination in itself. Why do you have to distinguish a meal by using a word that somehow has a derogatory remark in this context? They could've used words like "budget" meals, etc. You don't say blind meals, or deaf meals, or engineer meals or such on a menu. You just put the dishes' names, plain and simple. This should serve as a wake up call to establishments, high-end or not. Even in malls or other restos or even fastfood chains. I remember when I was in college. Since we didn't have uniforms then, I like going to school in my "pambahay" get up, and restaurant staff and fastfood crews would pay little to no attention to me, apparently because [of what I was wearing]. Security guards in malls tend to frisk you more when entering malls wearing slippers, as oppose to just letting you pass when you're in your corporate attire. Are you kidding me?! Kudos to Maggie Wilson." - Jerald Vincent Zumel
"Instead of calling it 'Yaya Meal' just tag it as value meal or affordable meal set. Come on Balesin are you lost for words? It only shows you do not impose tact and respect to your staff like those who created your menu. At this [day and age], you know all employees should be politically correct." - Bingky Carino
"I'm a yaya, nanny or caregiver. Every trip of my employer, [I'm given a] good and comfortable room alone. We stayed 3 months in a 5 star hotel; [My employers stayed in a] VIP room and my boss [...] wanted my room to be close to them and [to be a] VIP room too. 80% Filipino workers in that hotel [couldn't] believe that I'm only a nanny. [...] I went alone in the cafeteria and [I'd] take food that I want in that 5 star hotel in Canada. I'm able to go in the pool spa and gym. [Balesin,] what kind of management [do] you have?" - Evangeline Gorospe
"What can be eaten by a super rich person that an ordinary person can't afford to eat doesn't make a difference [because] what goes into the stomach must come out as feces. So who cares?! Anyway, we will all die and God does not look upon your status in life. It's the kind [...] heart that God is after." - Dulcelina Billena Siason
"The great divide is not an ocean or continent. The great difference is not the color of skin, hair and eyes. The greatest inequality is not the status in society or the level of education reached. No. The great divide is how we treat each other as human beings. Sad. Happy Easter to all of us and may its message infect us, contaminate us and overwhelm us." - Arlyne Olavere-Ocampo
TechPinas is open to publishing the official statement of Balesin Island Club if and when its management decides to release one as a way to let Pinoys in social media learn their side of the story.
Update as of April 6, 2015, 2:05 PM: Balesin Island Club's CEO, Mr. Mike M. Asperin, has just issued an official statement about the 'Yaya Meal' incident and social media fiasco. As promised and in the spirit of fairness, we are publishing it here as well ~
Gist: Model/Beauty Queen/Lifestyle Blogger Maggie Wilson-Consunji and family went to 'Balesin Island Club' in Polilio, Quezon to cap off the Holy Week only to learn that the exclusive resort serves separate meals for yayas aka 'Yaya Meal' and has a 'No Credit Card, No Food' policy. Bothered by an incident where the waiter specifically pointed out the existence of such meal in front of her mother, son, and nanny, Maggie took to Facebook and shared bits of the experience.
Supporting Content [source]:
Notable Comments by Filipinos on Facebook [source]:
"The fact that they had to put the word "yaya" on the menu is discrimination in itself. Why do you have to distinguish a meal by using a word that somehow has a derogatory remark in this context? They could've used words like "budget" meals, etc. You don't say blind meals, or deaf meals, or engineer meals or such on a menu. You just put the dishes' names, plain and simple. This should serve as a wake up call to establishments, high-end or not. Even in malls or other restos or even fastfood chains. I remember when I was in college. Since we didn't have uniforms then, I like going to school in my "pambahay" get up, and restaurant staff and fastfood crews would pay little to no attention to me, apparently because [of what I was wearing]. Security guards in malls tend to frisk you more when entering malls wearing slippers, as oppose to just letting you pass when you're in your corporate attire. Are you kidding me?! Kudos to Maggie Wilson." - Jerald Vincent Zumel
"Instead of calling it 'Yaya Meal' just tag it as value meal or affordable meal set. Come on Balesin are you lost for words? It only shows you do not impose tact and respect to your staff like those who created your menu. At this [day and age], you know all employees should be politically correct." - Bingky Carino
"I'm a yaya, nanny or caregiver. Every trip of my employer, [I'm given a] good and comfortable room alone. We stayed 3 months in a 5 star hotel; [My employers stayed in a] VIP room and my boss [...] wanted my room to be close to them and [to be a] VIP room too. 80% Filipino workers in that hotel [couldn't] believe that I'm only a nanny. [...] I went alone in the cafeteria and [I'd] take food that I want in that 5 star hotel in Canada. I'm able to go in the pool spa and gym. [Balesin,] what kind of management [do] you have?" - Evangeline Gorospe
"What can be eaten by a super rich person that an ordinary person can't afford to eat doesn't make a difference [because] what goes into the stomach must come out as feces. So who cares?! Anyway, we will all die and God does not look upon your status in life. It's the kind [...] heart that God is after." - Dulcelina Billena Siason
"The great divide is not an ocean or continent. The great difference is not the color of skin, hair and eyes. The greatest inequality is not the status in society or the level of education reached. No. The great divide is how we treat each other as human beings. Sad. Happy Easter to all of us and may its message infect us, contaminate us and overwhelm us." - Arlyne Olavere-Ocampo
TechPinas is open to publishing the official statement of Balesin Island Club if and when its management decides to release one as a way to let Pinoys in social media learn their side of the story.
Update as of April 6, 2015, 2:05 PM: Balesin Island Club's CEO, Mr. Mike M. Asperin, has just issued an official statement about the 'Yaya Meal' incident and social media fiasco. As promised and in the spirit of fairness, we are publishing it here as well ~
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