A shareholder of the posh Plantation Bay resort in Cebu apologized for his reply to a complaint from a guest who was asked by staff to quiet down her child with special needs.
Screenshots of the complaint and resident shareholder Manny Gonzalez's response on Tripadvisor went viral on Twitter and "Plantation Bay" was a trending topic on Wednesday. The resort's general manager, Efren Belarmino, posted the response that was attributed to Gonzalez.
The mother said her child, who has autism, was "squealing with delight" at the pool and were told by a lifeguard to hush the kid down.
"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," the guest said.
FROM SMART PARENTING:
Plantation Bay's Response To A Mom's Review Is Offensive To ALL Parents
Plantation Bay Apologizes, Says It Was 'Wrong To Question The Mother's Motives'
Gonzalez said in a statement from Plantation Bay: "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."
Keeping noise down at the pool area is "geared towards safety and relaxation for all guests," he said, adding, "We try to apply this policy even-hadedly."
"As a result of that policy, in almost 25 years we have never had a child die here. A mother's pride is important but more important are the lives of the children who come here," he said.
"Regardless, I handled this care poorly, and apologize to all the parties who felt offended by my reply," he said.
