Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 17) — Actress-TV host Alex Gonzaga is trending once again, this time for her behavior during her recent birthday party.
In a video clip that spread online on Monday, the 35-year-old Gonzaga blew her birthday candle, then smeared the chocolate icing on the face of the service worker who held the cake. In the video posted and quickly deleted by content creator Dani Barretto, the guests can be heard cheering while the server turned his head.
Gonzaga’s name landed on the top trending topics on Twitter on Tuesday, with social media in uproar over her actions.
Online personalities and netizens expressed disappointment over how she treated the male staffer while calling for better treatment of workers in the service industry. Vlogger Janina Vela said there was a clear imbalance of “power dynamics” since the staff wouldn’t be able to complain.
TikTok content creator Arshie Larga noted that playfully smearing cake icing is a common occurrence during celebrations, but he said that doesn’t apply to this situation.
“Ginagawa rin naman natin yan PERO sa mga taong ka-close lang natin. Hindi sa taong gusto lang naman magtrabaho ng maayos,” he wrote.
[Translation: We also do that, but only to people we are close to. We don’t do that to people who just want to work.]
One netizen lamented, “What irks me about this alex gonzaga fiasco is the power imbalance between her and the server. Being laughed at in front of so many rich ppl must’ve been hard for him, but alex probably thinks of it as a “joke” lang. tbh [To be honest] this is blatant bullying in plain sight.”
Internet personality Oliver of Otakoyakisoba reflected on his past experience in customer service, saying workers shouldn’t be humiliated for the sake of content.
“Just because you pay them does not mean you can do anything to them. Even if it was with consent, some will feel the pressure and just go along with it even if they feel uncomfortable… Make sure if you see something wrong, please say something and don’t be a bystander and take a video of it for giggles,” he wrote on Facebook.
Gonzaga has yet to comment on the issue.
Siguro mas-acceptable ito kung ka-close mo yung tao, pero dahil sa “power dynamics” dito —Kuya as the server and Ms. Alex as the served— hindi niya magagawa yun ☹️
Service workers are our equals. It’s their job to serve, but it’s our job to give them the respect they deserve. https://t.co/6i7wZHDLcQ
— Janina Vela (@janinavela) January 16, 2023
“Service workers are our equals. It’s their job to serve, but it’s our job to give them the respect they deserve,” she tweeted.
