Plantation Bay — a resort in Cebu received backlash from social media users after its owner responded negatively to a review by a parent of a special needs child.

On Monday, December 7, Mai Pages left a review on Plantation Bay Resort and Spa located in Mactan, Cebu on TripAdvisor — an American online travel company. In her review, she recalled how she and her son who is diagnosed with autism were forced to leave the swimming area after lifeguards noticed her son’s joyous “uncontrolled shouting” as he approached the water. The mother described the resort in her review as “"not an ideal place for a child with special needs."

“Every time Fin jumps in the water he’d be so happy that he’d laugh and squeal again. I tried hushing him and at one point tried to cover his mouth,” Pages shares. “But then I realized this is so wrong. This isn’t right at all!”

Pages also claimed that this kind of response isn’t something new. “When normal people who are ignorant of (those) with special needs give us that stare of ‘please control your child.’”

"I just felt discriminated and excluded. Dapat therapeutic for him but we weren't accommodated," she added.

Mai also shared her Plantation Bay bad experience on Facebook, gaining quite a number of shares and engagement.

What makes the story even more appalling to the netizens is when the resort resident shareholder Manny Gonzales, attempted to gaslight Pages and invalidate her son’s condition based on a “Google search” according to the netizens.

The discrimination Pages and her son had experienced, and the owner’s response to her sparked criticisms from the netizens, including Karen Davila.

Mai Pages left Plantation Bay a one-star review, saying “We need a friendly and empathetic environment for kids and families with special needs.”

Meanwhile, many local autism groups slammed Plantation Bay, claiming that the action was “shamefully ignorant of what the autism spectrum is”, and also urged the resort conduct “sensitivity training” for its personnel to avoid similar incidents in the future.

Plantation Bay also released their official statement about the said issue: