DOT condemns social gathering at Blue Coral Beach Resorts in San Juan, Batangas

Wazzup Pilipinas?!

The Department of Tourism (DOT) condemns yet another reckless social gathering organized at a tourism establishment, this time at the Blue Coral Beach Resorts Inc. in Barangay Laiya, San Juan, Batangas on Monday, December 7. 

The said mass gathering, documented on video by concerned individuals, shows a large group of individuals partying without face masks, face shields nor observance of physical distancing protocols. Batangas remains under GCQ.

(Video was sent to media outfits courtesy of Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat. We just did a screenshot.

DOT says the San Juan LGU revoked the business permit of Blue Coral Beach Resorts Inc. and plans to file charges against the establishment. It adds the operations of the Batangas resort was previously suspended for violation of health protocols.

Plantation Bay Resort and Spa is not friendly to autistic children

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Ay grabe itong news about Plantation Bay Resort And Spa! 

Plantation Bay needs a major education caravan on mental health and children with special needs. You are beyond disappointment! And please do not include parenthood here, it has nothing to do with it.

Reasonable sana yung point na nasa rules talaga nila na bawal maingay at hindi talaga makocontrol yung autism so dapat di na sila doon..... pero WRONG, HURTFUL AND INHUMANE WORDS ANG GINAMIT NILA SA DELIVERY. THAT IS VERY UNETHICAL!  

This is a spotlight on Emmanuel "The Biz Wiz" Gonzales, resident shareholder and quality control consultant. Huh.

Not so wiz and quality, Plantation Bay. 

The reply of the General Manager / Shareholder and CEO of Plantation Bay is just outright rude, unnecessary, & overly-defensive. We are talking about an autistic child.

WHERE'S THEIR POLICY ON EMPATHY?

Joke time naman yang plantation Bay, eh. Ang iingay nga ng mga Koreans na nagpupunta diyan. Di naman nila sinisita.

Ewan ko lang sa iba, pero I would take delight seeing a child happily screaming getting into the water... hindi ako pang mayaman na lugar siguro. Baka pang-oldies na scrooge itong place na ito. Yung mga gamit sa tao at gustong magsolo.

But I do understand their policies. Pero the way he replied, ang yabang. So rude. Kulang ng empathy. 

Plantation Bay is very insensitive! A special child needs a special care and understanding! Bakit hindi nila alam yun?

Puede po kayang pakieducate ang GM niyan. I have a nephew na high functioning autistic with psychosocial challenges. Pero maraming interests sa buhay.  Nakakagalit. Di siya aware kung ano ang autism.

"Dapat hindi sila doon" this is systemic ableism. it should not be up to us to be exclusive and affirm to discrimination. If we continue this kind of treatment for the sake of "following the rules," we will never learn to be inclusive to the neurodivergent community. 

“PWDs don’t deserve this treatment and exclusion. Plantation Bay Mactan has shown that they’re one of many institutions willing to deprive PWDs and children with special needs of the same opportunity they’re more than happy to give to others.“ 

These guidelines cater to abled people only. It should not be the case. Because if the reason is "madisturb ang ibang guests" well, I wouldn't? Clearly, everyone should be understanding to the pyschological needs of others. I see nothing justifiable in what they did.

Dear Manny Gonzalez, resident share holder of Plantation bay. Please revisit medical websites, journals and books in regards to the autism spectrum. Your “google search” is not enough to validate your understanding as you are only looking at ONE side of the spectrum.

Remember how Plantation Bay’s Manny Gonzalez responded to a customer’s complaint about food poisoning?

Yup, this “resident shareholder” really lacks empathy & reeks of arrogance. Clear example of money can’t buy class. No matter how rich you are, you can still be rude & tactless.

Check his previous antics. You see the pattern right? 

Dmd. That guy really has problems. No wonder Plantation Bay isn’t as competitive as Shang or Movenpick.

I actually read this in Sunstar when this came out..  I didn't realize it was him AGAIN! It was ran as a full-page ad in Sunstar Cebu.

December 2019. They really like to close the year with a BANG! 

Despite the standards set by APA and DSM, we can’t isolate a symptom since autism is a broad spectrum. To brand the child’s screaming as parental neglect and overlooks the greater clinical picture, Plantation Bay seems to be taking on a different specialty. Lol.

The management of Plantation Bay Resort in Cebu really implied that the child was wrongly diagnosed because Google said so. Imagine telling your client “your child doesn’t have autism, you’re just a bad parent”

Imagine being so unapologetically ableist.

Panahon ba ngayon ng mga inconsiderate at bastos? Andun ba sya to say na walang special needs ang bata? Is he officially representing the resort? Jusko. Wala talaga sa yaman ang pagkakaroon ng class at manners. Hindi sya nabibili.

If I was paying 10k a night in Plantation Bay and some kid is yelling all day, I'd be pissed, but I feel bad for the kid and mom. A little courtesy is very much needed here.

For the love of God, never make conclusions about someone's mental condition if you're no expert. Even mental health practitioners need to use different assessment tools in diagnosing a patient. Tapos ganito?! You can assert your rules without being outright ignorant and rude.

The mere fact that Plantation Bay invalidated the concern of their guest makes them ignorant of the entire clinical picture of autism as disease entity.

If plantation bay can invalidate their customers’ feedback then people should never visit that place. We deserve a safe space!

The gall to suggest "Google autism" to validate his point. Lol! Wow! Walang GMRC ito. Grabe!

The Autism Society of the Philippines already released their statement. Here is part of it:

"A disability-compassionate and sympathetic hospitality organization would have gone the extra mile to understand their customer\"s perspective. Instead, the resort went the other direction.  

Before deep-diving into resort rules, relegated to fine print, Mr. Efren Belarmino, General Manager at Plantation Bay Resort And Spa, in behalf of Mr. Manny Gonzalez, the Resident Shareholder, began their response to this Tripvisor review by assuming the worst of their guest and her child with a disability. The first part of the response is ignorant of what the autism spectrum is — even going as far as to shame the parent and question the veracity of the child’s diagnosis. 

This sad event is an opportunity for disability sensitivity training; and a review of the resort’s policies and procedures for compliance to RA 7277, the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability.  Beyond the public relations mess that this is (driven by an ill-crafted response), the noble men and women who serve to please their customers at the Plantation Bay Resort And Spa in Cebu can do better.  Even the best-intentioned organizations can always use additional knowledge and improvements in areas they are not properly trained in.  The Department of Tourism, the National Council on Disability Affairs and the Autism Society Philippines can help facilitate education in "invisible" and often misunderstood disabilities.

For parents who find themselves in this situation, know that the law is on your side.  Escalating the matter to top management is the best way to amicably resolve your issues and to teach the organization what accommodations are needed by guests who manifest their disability uniquely.  Very often, top management responds with kindness and compassion.

If the issue is not resolved, you may file a civil case in court or with the Commission on Human Rights for violations of the RA 7277, the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability. Please take note of names, places, events, dates, times and screenshots, to complete documentation of the incident. "

http://www.autismsocietyphilippines.org/2020/12/resort-responds-harshly-to-moms-review.html

It seems they are indeed turning it into a Quiet place for old Rich people soon.. an eye watering 125k per month.

Idk what’s more infuriating; the reply of Plantation Bay’s resident Shareholder or the morons who are praising them for allegedly enforcing their rules against A CHILD.

Also, let me take a moment to say that Plantation Bay is overrated. Last time I was there, it was pretty noisy so their PR department lied through their teeth about how their resort is quiet. It isn't.

Seriously, the noise there is no different than the noise in your run off the mill beach resort in the Philippines.

Plantation Bay's dumb excuse about how their resort is usually quiet is nothing but a denial of how they're really just ablelists.

If a non-PWD was the one that made so much noise, they would not mind at all.

Only a public apology and an invitation to make it up in a future visit (assuming they'd want to return) will make us even consider going back. In support of PWDs and humanity, we may even support a community/media response against you.  

The Plantation Bay thing makes me soooo furious. People with autism Are. On. An. Entire. SPECTRUM. You cannot characterize all of them by a single set of behaviors. 

PEOPLE WITH AUTISM DESERVE SAFE SPACES. PEOPLE WITH AUTISM DESERVE BETTER.

Since Plantation Bay Resort and Spa wants to preserve the peace of other guests then they should get off the hospitality business and stop taking bookings from families with kids or just about from anyone from the public!

Plantation Bay does not care about your social media rants because most probably, it's FAKE. Or at least that's what they said on their website. With lots of proof why it might be fake. 

Weird how not a single news outlet is covering this whole Plantation Bay fiasco.

The gen manager of Plantation Bay took down his ignorant and arrogant response to feedback from a mother of a child with autism. 

IT SHOULDN’T STOP THERE. The resort owes the family and all persons with autism a public apology.

People with autism have special needs. Those needs do not deprive them of their rights, do not license abuse nor disrespect.

They should apologize to the public in general for being pompous, intolerant narcissists who cannot take any criticism. Look up other reviews of Plantation Bay, they already had similar issues in the past. The owners think too highly of themselves.

Wtf! This makes me furious in so many levels! I can only imagine the heartbreak the parents felt when they read this response from Plantation Bay Resort. This Gonzales is clearly IGNORANT of the behaviors of children on the spectrum. At NAKAPABASTOS. Walang kinatandaan.

Manny Gonzalez of Plantation Bay asking the Mom to verify by Google Search, then alleging misdiagnosis of her child. Nagbibigay na pala ng medical license ang Google ngayon? Boycott Plantation Bay! The board needs to fire that evil prick and buy him out cause he a bad juju.

I've seen spinning, shouting, rocking, flapping, jumping, shrieking. I'm no expert on autism either. But it is a spectrum and who says what persons with autism "normally" do. Oh, yes, Plantation Bay. Google it, they said.

The Benefits of Wheat Protein

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Health-conscious consumers have been encouraging the development of healthier eating options across the globe for a number of years and this has been accelerated by growing environmental and ethical concerns. In Asia, there has been a surge in the demand for plant-based proteins. More and more consumers choose to follow a meat-reduced or meat-free diet, which they believe is a way to improve their health. As a result, new meat substitute launches are predicted to have a Compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12% over the next five years.

With savoury dishes among the top five product categories for vegan and vegetarian claims, it presents an opportunity for food manufacturers to make the most of this trend by offering improved taste and texture profiles in vegetarian recipes with textured wheat protein – one of BENEO’s most recent ingredient developments.



What is driving plant protein popularity?

The uptake of meat alternatives is being driven by a range of factors, including consumer concerns about health, animal welfare, the environment and cost. The result has been a shift in allegiance from meat-based protein to plant-based protein, with meat substitutes beginning to show up in menus of food chains across Asia. Globally, vegetarian claims on total food and drink products have also been increasing and the prepared meals segment is now also joining the trend. Many consumers perceive plant proteins as natural, healthy ingredients, with the specific benefits of being rich in vitamins and low in cholesterol and saturated fats. Due to this, the market for meat substitutes continues to grow in all regions.

One in three respondents to a recent consumer survey by FMCG Gurus on behalf of BENEO say that they now see themselves as flexitarian (flexible vegetarian) and are trying to reduce their meat intake. The survey also confirms earlier trends data that has shown that the consumption of meat appears to decrease with age; with 37% of over 55’s globally saying that they are now flexitarian and with younger consumers increasingly favouring vegetarian or vegan diets. Importantly, a quarter of consumers are also willing to pay a premium for plant-based products. As a result, plant proteins are well placed to make the most of this growing consumer demand for meat-free alternatives.



The rise of wheat protein

Although plant proteins such as pea, rice and canola are making their presence felt, in 2019, wheat protein has grown to become the most used plant-based protein in new meat alternative product launches. The popularity of wheat proteins is, in part, due to the fact that it is particularly well suited to creating new nutritious and tasty plant-based food concepts.

Wheat proteins not only help meet protein needs but are also low in fat. It is also recognised to be lower in taste than other well-known plant-based protein sources. As such, wheat-based protein is one of the most promising meat substitutes for meat-free burgers, nuggets, and vegetarian sausages. Following consumer research, BENEO found that wheat protein is also very positively received in terms of its perception, with 53% of survey respondents saying that ‘wheat protein’ ‘sounds (very) natural’ and another 50% saying ‘it sounds (very) healthy’.



The taste test

Despite the various benefits of plant-based proteins, such as health and sustainability, there are still certain barriers to the mass take-up of meat substitutes. These include consumer perceptions surrounding taste and the growing cost of meat alternatives. Texture and, in particular, flavour remain a major issue for consumers. In fact, many consumers believe that vegetarian meals taste bland, while 42% do not like the taste of meat substitutes. Until recently, the taste of plant proteins has had a limiting effect on their appeal. However, thanks to increasing efforts in new product development, companies such as BENEO have now developed high quality plant protein ingredients with a neutral taste and other technical benefits that challenge animal proteins in terms of both taste and texture.



BeneoPro W-Tex textured wheat protein

The unique neutral taste of BeneoPro W-Tex (textured wheat protein), in combination with its other technical benefits, enables the creation of meat-free products with a stable texture and fibrous structure. It can be easily flavoured with a variety of tastes, herbs and spices, making it a flexible meat substitute.

BENEO’s textured wheat protein is made from wheat gluten and flour. Its protein content amounts to a minimum of 65% on a dry matter basis. An outstanding source of protein, BeneoPro W-Tex has a unique alveolar structure that allows the development of meat-like juicy texture. It also takes only 15 minutes to obtain maximum hydration capacity, eradicating the need for long soaking and making it convenient for production. In combination with its good compaction ability, BeneoPro W-Tex can achieve excellent shaping in products, without the need for additional gums or artificial binders, key for the formulation of clean label recipes.

With consumer demand continuing to drive new plant-based product development in Asia, the opportunities for manufacturers prepared to embrace this trend are vast. Long gone are the days of sawdust tasting, bland meat-alternatives and thanks to the work of functional ingredients manufacturers such as BENEO, textured wheat protein offers today’s food producers a wide range of exciting, meat-alternative recipe development opportunities.