MANILA, Philippines — The issues just keep piling up for actress-vlogger Alex Gonzaga, who is still feeling the heat from her controversial smearing of cake icing on a waiter during her recent 35th birthday party celebration.
Gonzaga is said to have already apologized to the waiter named Allan Crisostomo after personally visiting him at work, with Crisostomo even supplying a signed letter to the media to prove the actress indeed apologized.
However, the women's group Gabriela dismissed the letter as mere "damage control" by Gonzaga.
“As if being publicly slathered with cake across the face while at work was not humiliating enough, Allan was made to sign a letter clearly devised for damage control and cleaning up Gonzaga’s name in the public eye," said Gabriela's Secretary-General Clarice Palce in a statement on Thursday.
"This is doubly unjust and demeaning, not just for Allan, but for the millions of workers across the Philippines who are driven to endure daily abuse and degradation while at work,” Palce added.
Palce invited Gonzaga to actually learn about the reality that workers like Crisostomo face daily.
"Instead of shaming working-class Filipinos in the name of status and fame, celebrities like Alex Gonzaga need to join us in challenging President Marcos Jr. to address the demands of Filipino workers today: dignified jobs, protection against violence, and the ability to freely speak up, associate, and organize despite the persistent repression of people in power,” ended Palce.
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