Xyriel Manabat vows action against TNVS driver for indecent comments
Xyriel Manabat is standing her ground after a TNVS driver crossed the line by allegedly making indecent remarks about a selfie they took together.
In a since deleted post on his Facebook account, the driver going by the name "Boss Toyo Mansi" shared a picture with the actress that was reportedly taken after dropping her off at work.
"Ang LAKI ng bata na 'yan," he said in his post.
Many users called out his crude caption and subsequent remarks as inappropriate.
Manabat has since gotten wind of the post and made it clear that she has no intention of letting the matter pass.
In an interview with ABS-CBN, the actress said she plans to take action against the driver, stressing that such behavior should never be treated as a joke or a form of entertainment.
"It's never about the piece of clothing. Nakapantrabaho ako. Maayos ko siyang kinausap. As far as I can remember, ang bait bait ko sa kanya, nag-tip pa nga ata ako kasi nahiya ako 'pag may pinaghihintay akong tao," she said.
In her message to the driver, she said, "I hope na your family, your mom, your sister, or worse, if you have a daughter, your wife, sana makita nila 'to at sana makita nila na ganyang klase ka ng tao."
The actress said she is "never scared" to express her passion about protecting victims of harassment in any gender and age.
"I'll be their voice and I'll use my platform wisely," she underscored. "There's nothing to be scared or to be afraid of. Nag-fuel siya ng reason for us to be more brave and for us to spread more awareness about this kind of topic."
Grab to improve safeguards against inappropriate actions
The driver's post quickly sparked outrage among fans, many of whom urged Grab Philippines to take action.
The ride-hailing service has since taken notice of the incident and stressed that they "practice zero tolerance for inappropriate contact and other misconduct."
"Rest assured, we have invited the driver involved as part of our full investigation and are committed to taking the necessary actions," they said.
Grab further apologized to Manabat for the "unacceptable experience" she had with a driver and lamented that what happened was "deeply concerning and does not reflect the standards we uphold on the platform."
"We are already in direct contact with Ms. Manabat, have offered our full support and ensured her concerns were heard. We are also prepared to cooperate fully with relevant authorities.
After conducting an initial investigation, Grab stated that the driver-partner involved has now been placed under preventive suspension as his behavior "constitutes a grave violation and a bannable offense" under their driver guidelines.
"While all driver-partners on the Grab platform undergo mandatory safe spaces and anti-harassment training through Grab Academy and accredited partner organizations, we recognize that this incident demands more than a restatement of existing protocols," they said.
The company assured that they are now undertaking a comprehensive review of their driver behavior protocols, including those governing post-trip conduct, and will introduce further safeguards to address any gaps this incident may have exposed.
"Every person who uses Grab has the right to feel safe. We will continue to hold ourselves and our driver-partners to that standard, without exception," Grab said, adding that customers can report incidents similar to this to the app's 24/7 Safety Center.