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Cebu resort apologizes after drawing flak for remarks on autism

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2020/life/12/09/plantation-bay.jpg"/><figcaption><em>Facebook.com/plantationbayresortandspa</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA <strong>(UPDATE)</strong> — A resort in Cebu drew flak on social media after one of its shareholders negatively responded to a review by a parent of a child with special needs.</p><p>Early this week, TripAdvisor user Mai Pages narrated her experience at Plantation Bay Resort and Spa, which she described as &quot;discriminating&quot; and &quot;not an ideal place for a child with special needs.&quot;</p><p>She said at least two lifeguards called them out after they heard her son with autism &quot;squealing with delight&quot; whenever he jumps into the water.</p><p>&quot;As a mother, your initial action would be directed to your child. So I told him not to squeal because it wasn&#x27;t allowed. Quite frankly it was a difficult moment. Another lifeguard came and told us the same thing. I had to explain that he is a child with needs,&quot; Pages said in her <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com.ph/ShowUserReviews-g298461-d477886-r778557585-Plantation_Bay_Resort_And_Spa-Lapu_Lapu_Mactan_Island_Cebu_Island_Visayas.html">post</a>.</p><p>&quot;The plan to swim the whole morning came to a halt. I asked Fin if we could go back to the room because we weren&#x27;t allowed to squeal and be merry the special way. It&#x27;s a discriminating experience,&quot; she added.</p><p>Plantation Bay resident shareholder Manny Gonzalez, using the account of general manager Efren Belarmino, responded to Pages and accused her of &quot;most deliberately lying or has been given an incorrect diagnosis of autism.&quot;</p><p>In a now-deleted post, Gonzalez said &quot;uncontrolled shouting is not a symptom of autism,&quot; and at one point even told the public to &quot;Google autism and verify this for yourself.&quot;</p><p>The reply went on to explain why Plantation Bay is &quot;very clear&quot; about its &quot;strict policies regarding noisemaking by anyone.&quot;</p><p>&quot;There are almost three hectares of lagoons and swimming pools in the resort, ten times more water area that most resorts in Mactan. It is essential that our staff be able to hear cries of distress from far away. Moreover, it is essential that our staff not become so used to hearing screaming that they ignore a real cry for help,&quot; the <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50693291963_97cc7acea7_b.jpg">post</a> read.</p><p>&quot;Every customer must be respected, not just one parent and one child. Most of our guests fully understand and agree with this idea: it is not a resort for noise-makers, regardless of their reason. To demand that all the customers just shut up while one child just screams his head off? That&#x27;s not our idea of fairness,&quot; Gonzalez added. </p><div><strong>DOT launches investigation, Philippines&#x27; Autism Society blasts resort </strong></div><p>In a statement, the Department of Tourism said it has already launched an investigation regarding the circumstance in the Cebu resort. </p><p>&quot;[The DOT], after due notice and hearing, will mete the proper administrative sanctions to the resort,&quot; the statement read. </p><p>The agency added it would coordinate with the Department of Justice for &quot;proper action&quot; under the country&#x27;s <a href="https://www.ncda.gov.ph/disability-laws">Disability Laws</a>, which Pages could use to file a complaint. </p><p>The Autism Society Philippines (ASP), meanwhile, joined netizens in calling out Plantation Bay Resort and Spa for &quot;assuming the worst of their guest and her child with a disability.&quot;</p><p>In a <a href="http://www.autismsocietyphilippines.org/2020/12/resort-responds-harshly-to-moms-review.html">statement posted on its website</a> on Tuesday, ASP said the first part of the response &quot;is ignorant of what the autism spectrum is -- even going as far as to shame the parent and question the veracity of the child&#x27;s diagnosis.&quot;</p><p>&quot;For the record, for many families who live with autism, we are hyper-aware our children&#x27;s challenges... It is never our intention to infringe on the rights of others to experience what we want our children to enjoy -- be it a day at the pool or a movie in a mall. Genuine disability inclusion ensures access to enriching opportunities and experiences. We commend Mommy Mai for fighting for her child and for speaking out!&quot; the group said.</p><p>Hours later, Plantation Bay issued an apology signed by Gonzalez, who admitted his &quot;poor handling of a guest complaint.&quot;</p><p>He said he was &quot;wrong to question the mother&#x27;s motives, and deeply regret leaving the impression that we are not supportive of the community of parents with children who have special needs.&quot;</p><p>Gonzalez, however, reiterated the resort&#x27;s policy &quot;on keeping noise levels down in the pool and at the restaurants,&quot; saying it is &quot;geared towards safety and relaxation for all guests.&quot; </p><p>&quot;A mother&#x27;s pride is important, but more important are the lives of the children who come here,&quot; he said.</p><div><script src="https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&amp;version=v2.5" async="" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/plantationbayresortandspa/photos/a.10150129224315891/10159066369150891" data-width="auto"> </div><p>Reacting to the apology, ASP said it is &quot;a significant first step,&quot; but said that Plantation Bay &quot;has a long way to go.&quot;</p><p>&quot;Plantation Bay Resort and Spa stands firm on their belief that there is no room for reasonable accommodation for the needs of individuals with developmental disabilities -- even equating it with parental &#x27;pride.&#x27; All this, as the nation commemorates National Human Rights Consciousness Week,&quot; the group said in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/autismsocietyphilippines/posts/10159012498891473">Facebook post</a>. </p><p>&quot;We hope the company acknowledges the need for rights-based disability sensitivity training and a review of its policies and processes against the Magna Carta of Persons with Disabilities,&quot; it added.</p><div><strong>Related video:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HkX6WxQo01Q?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>A resort in Cebu drew flak on social media after one of its shareholders negatively responded to a review by a parent of a child with special needs.</p>

A resort in Cebu drew flak on social media after one of its shareholders negatively responded to a review by a parent of a child with special needs.