Ride-hailing company Grab Philippines has issued a public apology to actress Xyriel Manabat following a viral incident involving one of its driver-partners who allegedly made inappropriate remarks about her on social media.
The controversy began circulating online on April 8 after screenshots of a Facebook post surfaced. The driver shared a selfie with Manabat taken inside the vehicle, accompanied by the caption, “ang LAKI ng bata na ‘yan,” and later posted a lewd remark in the comments section.
The post quickly drew backlash from netizens, prompting the driver to delete the content and reportedly deactivate his account.
Manabat earlier expressed her intent to take action against the driver.
“Hindi ko ‘yan papalagpasin… hindi dapat nagiging entertainment ‘yan,” she said.
“Imagine kung gaano kahirap ‘yung buhay ng isang babae. Nagtrabaho ka lang, nagpa-picture lang sa’yo, you’re just being kind… you’ll get this in return. Again it’s never about the piece of clothing, nakapangtrabaho ako, maayos ko siyang kinausap,” she added.
In response, Grab Philippines acknowledged the incident and extended its apology to the actress.
“Grab Philippines extends its sincere apology to Ms. Xyriel Manabat for the unacceptable experience she had with a driver. What was reported is deeply concerning and does not reflect the standards we uphold on the platform,” the company said.
Grab confirmed that it has already reached out to Manabat and is prepared to cooperate with authorities as needed.
“Upon our initial investigation, the driver-partner involved has been placed under preventive suspension. Grab affirms that such behavior constitutes a grave violation and a bannable offense under our Driver Guidelines,” the statement read.
The company also said it will review its existing policies to prevent similar incidents, particularly those related to driver behavior even after a trip has ended.
“Every person who uses Grab has the right to feel safe. We will continue to hold ourselves and our driver-partners to that standard, without exception,” Grab added.
Despite requiring all driver-partners to undergo Safe Spaces and anti-harassment training, the company acknowledged the need to strengthen its protocols and introduce additional safeguards.
Grab also encouraged users to report any safety concerns through its 24/7 Safety Center within the app to ensure prompt action.
