Gran Philippines’ attempt to get in on a viral showbiz controversy backfired after netizens lambasted them for being disrespectful to women. The social media posts in question made a reference to an alleged love triangle among actors Gerald Anderson, his girlfriend Bea Alonzo, and Julia Barretto.
The controversial posts appeared on the ride-hailing app’s Twitter and Facebook accounts yesterday and showed photos of Alonzo and Barretto and other celebrities who were rumored to have dated Anderson like Maja Salvador, Pia Wurtzbach, Kim Chiu, and Sarah Geronimo.
“Walang kailangang maiwan. Walang kailangang masaktan. Sa Grab Car 6-seater pwedeng magsabay-sabay,” the caption read. This translates into: “No one needs to be left behind. No one needs to get hurt. With Grab’s 6-seater, they can all travel together.”
The posts have since been taken down but not before netizens took screenshots and reuploaded them.
Dahil nagbura na si @grabph pic.twitter.com/mj7IC19HVt
— Editors of Manila 天安门广场 🇨🇳 (@edsMNL) July 23, 2019
Grab Philippines was obviously riding on online rumors that Anderson cheated on Alonzo, his current girlfriend, with Barretto.
The gossip left the public so shookt that all three celebrities were trending on social media on Monday. It all started when Alonzo posted a cryptic message on her Instagram account on Sunday which showed a black photo and the caption: “'[Y]ou can’t make the same mistake twice, the second time you make it, it’s not a mistake anymore, it’s a choice.’ ENOUGH.”
People assumed that this was about Anderson because a netizen had just posted a photo of him with Barretto, leading people to believe that the two are dating.
Instead of being amused, many netizens criticized Grab Philippines for running their posts as they thought they were disrespectful to women.
Feeling the heat, the company issued an apologetic statement yesterday and said: “We apologize for running the light! We are in no way encouraging nor 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!”
Despite their apology, netizens still expressed displeasure over Grab Philippines’ marketing gimmick.
“Get your values together please,” Facebook user Ron Paguio said.
“[F]ire your marketing team. [V]ery insensitive making fun of people. [Y]ou may also be sued by those persons in the picture for posting their photos without permission,” wrote Jeff Domingo.
Arvie Dizon also said people should be fired for the offensive social media posts.
“A lot of brands and people are doing everything to celebrate and empower women, but you’re using them as a joke?” she said.
“Trying hard to be as witty as Angkas, sorry, you’re not,” Geralyn Kahlil said.
Angkas, a motorcycle ride-hailing app, is known for running witty social media posts that often refer to current events. The company took advantage of the backlash against Grab Philippines by posting this tweet yesterday: “Bakit kasi sabay-sabay ha? Dito sa Angkas, one-at-a-time lang lagi ang sakay.”
This translates into: “Why do they need to be there all at the same time? Here at Angkas, people can only ride one-at-a-time.”
What are your thoughts about Grab Philippines’ social media posts? Tell us by leaving a comment below or tweeting to @CoconutsManila.
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