A mother of a child with autism posted a review on TripAdvisor detailing her frustration about a resort mistreating her and her child with autism at Cebu resort.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) has responded to this matter and launched an investigation on Cebu’s Plantation Bay Resort and Spa after its shareholder responded negatively to a review by a parent of a kid with autism.
“The DOT already launched an investigation on the matter. And after due notice and hearing, we will give the proper administrative sanctions to the resort”, said Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.
This comes after Mai Pages, a mother of a child with autism, posted a review on TripAdvisor detailing her experience at a certain Plantation Bay Resort and Spa in Cebu went viral on social media.
The mother wrote at TripAdvisor post that she and her child with autism were called out by lifeguards because her son was “squealing with delight” at the water. Pages slammed the resort, which markets itself as “not just a resort, but an experience,” as being “discriminating” and “not an ideal place for a child with autism.”
“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,” she continues to talk about her child and how they were treated. “My Fin is a happy child. He has autism. He is special. Very special! 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.”
The recent Cebu resort incident deflecting blame for its ableist treatment of a mother with a child with autism is an opportunity to open the conversation of disability sensitivity training, disability advocates said on Wednesday.
The group Autism Society Philippines, which earlier called Gonzalez’s response to the guest as “shamefully ignorant” of the family’s plight, still found Plantation Bay’s apology wanting.
“A disability-compassionate and sympathetic hospitality organization would have gone the extra mile to understand their customer’s perspective. Instead, the resort went the other direction,” said Autism Society Philippines in a statement.
