Grab PH apologizes for ‘foul’ meme using Gerald Anderson controversy

FILE: “Dance is a conversation between body & soul.” (Photo: @andersongeraldjr/Instagram)

Transportation application Grab Philippines has decided to remove their Facebook advertisement pertaining to actor Gerald Anderson and the recently surfaced cheating allegations involving his “Between Maybes” co-star Julia Barretto, after receiving flack for the inappropriateness of the post last Tuesday, July 23.

The ride-hailing service company attempted to promote their six-seater feature by posting a collage of Gerald’s former on and off screen partners, including actresses Maja Salvador, Pia Wurtzbach, Kim Chiu, Sarah Geronimo; and girlfriend Bea Alonzo, who has also been surfacing the internet for her hints on the accuracy of the rumors, cryptically posting, “You can’t make the same mistake twice, the second time you make it, it’s not a mistake anymore, it’s a choice. ENOUGH.” 

The collage by Grab PH captioned in Filipino, “Nobody gets left behind. Nobody will get hurt. With GrabCar six-seater, you can all go at the same time.”

Yet, after receiving thousands of angry reactions, the company apologized and immediately took the post down. In a separate graphic, they state, “We apologize for running the light! We were in no way encouraging nor condoning disrespect for women and disrespect within relationships. We admire the love and loyalty the fans have for all these wonderful women. Thank you for reminding us what not to be!” 

In a further statement, they explain, “While our intent was to create relevant conversations, we failed to do so, and regret that the effect of the post was insensitive and offensive – something that does not reflect our values at Grab. While this isolated incident may have misrepresented our position on women’s rights, we remain to be a steadfast supporter and advocate of the welfare of women everywhere,” concluding, “We have learned significant lessons from this experience, and we are taking internal actions to ensure that we prevent this from happening again. Our prime focus remains to be in providing delightful and meaningful conversations between Grab and the Filipino people.”