Jude Bacalso, a well-known Cebu personality and LGBTQ+ community member, has addressed the controversy surrounding a viral photo that appears to show her berating a restaurant wait staff in a Cebu mall. In the photo, Bacalso is seated while the wait staff stands.
Bacalso explained in a GMA Integrated News report that she had actually invited the waiter to sit down and relax. “He shook his head and remained standing,” Bacalso said. “I didn’t say ‘stay there.’ I also didn’t demand.”
Bacalso has faced backlash for allegedly berating the waiter for calling her “sir.” However, she clarified that it was an “honest mistake” on the waiter’s part. “There was no malice. I knew there was no malice. So I took it as an opportunity to educate,” she explained.
The photo was taken while Bacalso was giving gender sensitivity information to the waiter. “It was a calm conversation between us,” she noted, adding that she was not loud or berating.
In a statement posted on Facebook, Bacalso emphasized that she did not demand the waiter stand for the entire conversation. “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 reported that she had met with the restaurant’s management to resolve the issue. “After each one of us aired our sides, I am happy to share that we have agreed to pursue together more inclusive practices in the restaurant,” she stated. She also apologized to the staff and customers who were affected by the incident.
“This is a huge chunk of humble pie that I must ingest, because I have erred,” Bacalso admitted. “May we start here with, as the supervisor pointed out, an uphill path to reconciliation.”