Jude Bacalso, a Cebu-based personality and member of the LGBTQ+ community, has addressed the viral photo purportedly showing her berating a wait staff member in a Cebu Mall restaurant. In the photo, Bacalso is seated while the wait staff stands.
Bacalso explained to GMA News Online that she had offered the waiter a chance to sit and relax, but he chose to remain standing. “He shook his head and remained standing,” Bacalso said. “I didn’t say ‘stay there.’ I also didn’t demand.”
The controversy began when Bacalso was accused of berating the wait staff for calling her “sir.” Bacalso acknowledged the waiter made an “honest mistake,” emphasizing there was no malice involved. “So I took it as an opportunity to educate,” she said.
A netizen captured the photo while Bacalso was providing “gender sensitivity information” to the waiter. Bacalso insisted the conversation was calm and not conducted in a loud or berating manner.
On Facebook, Bacalso issued a statement clarifying that she did not demand the waiter stand for the entire duration of their interaction. “It was he who chose to stand in front of me as we waited for input from management, who I attempted to contact,” she said.
Bacalso had a meeting with the restaurant’s management to resolve the matter quietly. The waiter involved was not present, but other staff members who witnessed the incident attended. Bacalso reported that they agreed to pursue more inclusive practices in the restaurant.
She apologized to the staff and customers affected by the incident. “This is a huge chunk of humble pie that I must ingest, because I have erred,” she said. Bacalso expressed a desire for reconciliation and admitted she could have handled the situation with more kindness.
Her Facebook statement has garnered significant attention, with over 4.6K shares, 5K comments, and 28K reactions as of writing.
Restaurant’s Response
The Cebu restaurant, Ulli’s Streets of Asia, released statements addressing the incident. On Monday, Ulli’s stated they had discussed the incident with their staff, emphasizing the importance of their welfare. They apologized to guests and reaffirmed that “discrimination has no place in our restaurant.”
In a follow-up statement, Ulli’s expressed support for the involved employee, reiterating their commitment to providing a safe and respectful environment for both guests and staff. They mentioned taking steps to better handle similar situations in the future.