Amid a maelstrom of negative online sentiment, the country’s leading ride-hailing platform released a statement apologizing for its social media posting it called “insensitive and offensive.”
In a post to promote its GrabCar 6-Seater service, the company had featured photos of six female celebrities previously romantically linked to actor Gerald Anderson, who is himself in the middle of a controversy spawned by his affinity with actress Julia Barretto as he is in a relationship with fellow actress, Bea Alonzo.
Grab’s now-deleted post had read: “Walang kailangan maiwan. Walang kailangan masaktan. Sa GrabCar 6-Seater, pwedeng magsabay-sabay. (No one needs to be left behind. No one needs to be hurt. With GrabCar 6-Seater, everyone can go at the same time.)”
The transport network company immediately posted an apology: “We apologize for running the light. We were in no way encouraging nor (sic) condoning disrespect for women and disrespect within relationships. We admire the love and loyalty that fans have for all these wonderful women. Thank you for reminding us what not to be!”
In a formal statement, the company said, “We express our sincere apologies for a recent social media post that we shared involving six local female celebrities.
“While our intent was to create relevant conversations, we failed to do so, and regret that the effect of the post was insensitive and offensive – something that does not reflect our values at Grab. While this isolated incident may have misrepresented our position on women’s rights, we remain to be a steadfast supporter and advocate of the welfare of women everywhere.
“We are truly sorry that we offended these women and their fans. Grab will actively reach out to the six local female celebrities to extend our apologies on the matter.
“We have learned significant lessons from this experience, and we are taking internal actions to ensure that we prevent this from happening again. Our prime focus remains to be in providing delightful and meaningful conversations between Grab and the Filipino people.”