CHR probes ‘discrimination’ of boy with autism in Cebu resort

CEBU CITY — The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Central Visayas has started its own investigation into the “poor handling” of a guest and her child with special needs at a luxury resort in Lapu-Lapu City on Mactan Island of Cebu province.

Lawyer Arvin Odron, regional director of CHR, said their investigation division has started the formal inquiry against Plantation Bay Resort and Spa on Wednesday.

“I directed the investigation division to get in touch with the mother and the resort management,” he said in a text message to the Inquirer on Thursday.

Leo Villarino, chief investigator of CHR in the region, said they were starting to gather information regarding the incident based on media reports.

“What we are doing is a motu proprio (on its own) investigation. We have to do this since the controversy involved a minor. We will determine whether the rights of the child were violated,” he said.

Villarino said they tried to reach out to Mai Pages, the mother of a 6-year-old boy with autism who was allegedly discriminated against by the management of Plantation Bay, but has not received any response yet.

If the CHR will find probable cause against the resort, formal charges will be filed at the prosecutor’s office.

Isolated case

“The filing of a case depends first and foremost on the cooperation of the boy’s family because we need to establish that there is sufficient evidence against the resort,” Villarino said.

Aside from the CHR, the Department of Tourism is looking into the incident. Cindy Chan, chair of Lapu-Lapu City’s Tourism, Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission, stressed that the incident at Plantation Bay was “isolated” and should not affect the city’s tourism programs.

“We’re really hoping that it won’t affect us. We leave it to the proper authorities to investigate the matter,” said Chan, who is also the mayor’s wife, in a media interview on Thursday.

The resort, she said, promised to send her husband and Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan an incident report.

“We also asked them (Plantation Bay management) to implement measures so that similar incidents won’t happen in the future,” she said.

“This is also an eye-opener for resorts and hotels to properly handle these situations and to be sensitive to the needs of people, especially special children or adults,” she added.

The response

Plantation Bay Resort and Spa drew flak over the treatment of a child with autism last weekend. The resort management has apologized for the incident.

In a Tripadvisor review of Plantation Bay on Sunday, Pages shared how they were “discriminated and excluded” at the resort. At least two lifeguards, she said, called her attention to stop her 6-year-old son from squealing while swimming in a resort’s pool.

Pages’ review quickly drew a response from Manny Gonzalez, the resort’s resident stakeholder, who, in a now-deleted comment, accused the mother of “most likely deliberately lying” or had been given an “incorrect diagnosis of autism.”

“For your information, uncontrolled shouting is not a symptom of autism. On the contrary, autistic children tend to be silent, nonverbal, and overwhelmed and withdrawn when faced with strangers. Google ‘autism’ and verify this for yourself,” Gonzalez wrote. INQ