Good News Corner
Inspiring PWD waiter from Korean restaurant earns praise from netizens
A waiter from a Korean restaurant in Cagayan de Oro brought inspiration to netizens as he showed pure enthusiasm in carrying out his job despite having a disability.
The hardworking man named "Kuya Prince" was first noticed by one of the customers, Erika Mae Maquidato Patalinghug, who then shared her touching encounter with him through a Facebook post that has garnered more than 160,000 reactions as of this writing.
"We had our dinner at Romantic Baboy, Limketkai Center branch. I was so happy to meet Kuya Prince, who served our food last night. Even with his condition, he quickly responded to our needs and happily assisted us. He’s a PWD and can only communicate through writing," Patalinghug wrote.
She recounted to Pilipino Star Ngayon that while having dinner at the samgyeopsal restaurant, she reached out to Kuya Prince to get his attention and ask him for cutlery. Once he approached them, she was surprised at the way he interacted with her.
"He was doing a sign language na he’s deaf and mute while he pointed to his ID. That's when I realized na deaf and mute po pala si kuya," Patalinghug said.
While she had already dined in the Korean food spot multiple times before, it was her first time seeing Kuya Prince working in the restaurant. She shared that she was in awe of how responsive and enthusiastic he was in ensuring that the customers' needs are met.
"I was very amazed by how he treated and served us. The dining experience was better than the previous ones kasi nga he quickly responded to our needs, especially sa constant refills," Patalinghug said.
Kuya Prince's diligence earned him waves of praise and support from social media users.
"Saludo po sa lahat at sa mga PWD na striving magsumikap para makaahon sa buhay," one user commented on Patalinghug's post.
"Sana marami pang ganyan, after all, tao lang din sila and they should be treated the same as how normal people without disability are being treated," another one wrote.
In response to PhilSTAR L!fe's request for comment, the samgyup spot in Cagayan de Oro said that they are "happy to know that the staff was able to give his best service to one of the customers and this has been appreciated."
Patalinghug expressed her hope that more companies will open their doors to people like Kuya Prince and encouraged PWDs to never give up on the journey to achieve one's ambitions.
"Don’t let your disabilities or anything stop you from reaching your goals and dreams. If they can do it, you can too. As long as you have the determination to do it," she said.