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- It was said that the photo of the IDs was uploaded in a Viber group and was also tweeted publicly by JV Ejercito.
- The netizen said that the IDs were authorized and were obtained legally.
A Facebook user named Ivy Lisa Mendoza-Yulo posted a lengthy statement defending a whole family after its members were accused of using fake PWD IDs.
On June 22, JV Ejercito posted a photo of six PWD IDs which he deemed as fake. The said IDs belonged to a certain Chong family.
“Ang kakapal! Buong pamilya lahat may PWD cards! You are all cheaters and opportunists!” Ejercito wrote.
https://twitter.com/jvejercito/status/1274918219992559616
In Yulo’s statement, she said that she has known the Chong family even before the kids were born as she’s a close friend of their mom, Carol since they were in their early 20s.
“It pains me to see these young people getting hurt from all the bullying and personal attacks that they are now receiving on social media, even from so-called friends and acquaintances. As their mom and I were talking on the phone the other day, I could hear the girls crying and anxiously talking about the incessant online attacks. My heart could only break for them. These girls could be my daughters,” she wrote.
The netizen then said that the cause of the harsh comments that the family got was a post of an “irresponsible person” who publicized personal information of photos of the family.
Yulo narrated that Carol sent their driver to buy lunch from Hong Kong Little Kitchen. She gave him their PWD cards which are said to be authorized by the local government unit.
Sometime later, the driver then informed the family that the restaurant declined their PWD cards because the owners needed to be physically present. Carol tried to negotiate with the restaurant’s staff but ended up instructing the driver to just pay in full.
“Six minutes after concluding the transaction at 11:38 a.m, a photo of their PWD IDs (complete with pictures, names, and personal info) was uploaded to a Viber group allegedly by the restaurant owner who brandished that her gallant staff did not honor the PWD cards and that they received threats,” the netizen said.
The members of the Viber group said to have shared the photos if the IDs to other people which became the root of the bashing.
“Some called the IDs fake, some mocked the disabilities listed on the ID, some dug up the social media accounts of the siblings and bashed them for things that have nothing to do with the issue—and the most serious of all, others went to the extent of calling the family hurtful names and floating ugly rumors and harsh accusations. It became open season for maligning and defaming the family, coming from within their circle, from complete strangers, and from mainstream media.”
https://www.facebook.com/ivylisa.mendoza/posts/10158892103333203
Yulo then clarified that the PWD IDs were not fake and that they were obtained legally and were authorized by the LGU.
“They are valid and authorized, and all legally acquired. Was it illegal to use the PWD IDs in these times? No, it is not, although the food industry is grappling with the crisis and resto owners are appealing to the public to use their discount cards prudently to help them bounce back. Did they abuse the use of the PWD IDs? I was told that it would have been the first time during this lockdown that Carol and her children would use their PWD cards at a resto. There is no abuse there thus. Did the mom ‘threaten’ the resto? No, she didn’t. She just asked for an explanation of why the cards were being rejected, that is her right to ask. Granting that she did threaten, why would she still buy her food from HK Little Kitchen and pay in full!? It doesn’t make sense. Was she able to use the card? No, she wasn’t allowed to, but she paid for the bill in full. Do they deserve this hate even from strangers who do not know them or the real story? Absolutely not!”
Hong Kong Little Kitchen has yet to acknowledge the matter.
