When will cases like this stop happening?
On a Facebook post posted on Sunday, a woman shared how a waiter from a karaoke bar allegedly tried to rape her inside one of the establishment’s rooms. According to Pasay City police, the incident happened on Jan. 28, Sunday.
The woman, Marra Zambrano, shared the incident along with photos of alleged perpetrator Louie Drio, who works at Music Bank Family KTV & Restaurant, a karaoke bar in Pasay City.
According to Zambrano, she was in the hallway talking on her phone when Drio offered her a quieter empty room where she can continue her call. “He was close to my friends so I didn’t think he would do anything bad,” she wrote in the Facebook post.
While inside the room, Zambrano said that the man stroke her face and tried to kiss her. She pushed him away but he pushed her to the sofa and took a hold of her, touching her “almost everywhere,” when she tried to exit the room.
She told the karaoke bar’s management about the incident but they allegedly were not having it.
“When I spoke with [the management], they tried flipping the story. I was furious and I was shouting at them, I told them ‘are you saying I’m lying?’,” she wrote.
Zambrano then asked for the establishment’s CCTV footage but they did not give it. Instead, they allegedly just gave a discount for the bucket of beer Zambrano and her friends ordered.
“I got offended. Really? Discount? After our complaint, the only thing you can give me is a discount? You didn’t even have the waiter say sorry to me and you didn’t even promise that you would punish him,” she wrote.
The Facebook post had 7,300 reactions, 3,248 shares, and 1,300 comments as of posting time. Zambrano’s supporters have also started to flood the karaoke bar’s Facebook page with negative reviews that mention the incident.
“We’ve been to Music Bank before, but never again. Be wary, people. They protected their rapist employee. Can we be certain that there’s just one employee with rapist tendencies when the manager protected them like that? How can you have a fun time when you know that some of their staff can just attempt to rape you,” Facebook user Carla Patricia Uy said.
Naomi Gaile Tecson wrote: “Your staff tried to rape a customer!!!!! And your other staff tried to conceal that waiter even when authorities were at your doorstep already!!!!”
“Does your service include frustrated rape in the menu?” Zarah Gomez asked.
SP01 Rodelio Gaoat of the Pasay City police confirmed with Coconuts Manila that they received a report of the incident on Sunday but the case is categorized as an “alleged act of lasciviousness.” He said that the case has been transferred to the city’s Women and Child Protection Desk.
Coconuts Manila tried to contact Music Bank Family KTV & Restaurant through phone and Facebook Messenger but they have not responded.
