Nagbigay ng reaksiyon at saloobin si Filipino-British transport blogger, vlogger, writer, motivational speaker, brand ambassador, TV, at events host na si James Deakin tungkol sa pinag-usapang kontrobersiya sa pagitan ng isang driver at estudyanteng pasahero na nag-book sa isang ride-hailing application services.
Inakusahan umano ng pasaherong estudyante ang driver na tila may ginagawang kahalayan habang nagmamaneho ito, na naging dahilan para magpababa sila nang di-oras sa kaniya, at upang magpakalat daw ng awareness, ay ipinost ito sa social media.
Kaagad namang pumalag ang driver at itinanggi ang paratang laban sa kaniya. Aniya, ang malakas na paghingal niya ay dulot daw ng kaniyang pagiging overweight.
MAKI-BALITA: Driver, pumalag sa umano'y bintang ng pasaherong estudyante na nagma-m*sturb*te siya
Driver na pinagbintangang nag-m*sturb*te sa kotse, bet tulungan ni Rendon Labador
Naglabas din ng opisyal na pahayag ang pamunuan ng paaralang pinapasukan ng pasahero kaugnay sa isyu.
MAKI-BALITA: Paaralan, nagsalita tungkol sa nag-m*sturb*te umanong driver sa estudyante nila
Saloobin ni Deakin sa kaniyang Facebook post noong Enero 26, "I just read through the viral story of the Grab driver who was accused of masturbating while driving two students from St. Paul. I won’t mention any names anymore because I think this has already been blown well out of proportion, and there’s already been so much unnecessary damage caused by the weaponizing of social media. Quite frankly, I’m appalled at how it has gotten this far."
"Without getting into the details, the basics you need to know are that a student from St. Paul got into a Grab and then accused the driver of masturbating while he was driving. There’s no video, but there is an audio recording. So the accusation is based on his breathing, which, according to the student who posted, sounded like he was pleasuring himself."
"The driver has responded on social media and clarified that he suffers from a condition due to his weight and hypertension, and that’s really how he sounds—especially after eating food that is not good for him."
"He said he explained this to the passenger. But still, they fled his car and went straight to social media. Now this man’s life is in ruins. He has been suspended and has lost his income while this is under investigation."
"Now, I wasn’t there, so I don’t want to make any categorical statements about who is telling the truth. But I can tell you this: social media is not the place to figure this out and everyone is entitled to due process."
Giit pa niya, "This is a very serious accusation—one that could ruin a person’s and a family’s life. This man has daughters himself, and neighbors have come forward vouching for his character. The least he deserves is his basic right of due process.
As of this writing, the student has deactivated their social media due to the backlash, but that was only after it went viral and the Grab driver came forward because his name and details were released by her, and he was being harassed and even claimed to have received death threats."
"Grab has an audio recording in the car, and they are reviewing that now. If it turns out that it wasn’t what he was accused of, what then? Sorry nalang, kuya?"
"Conversely, if it is proven that there may be a case, it would already be compromised because of the student’s post, which has distorted public opinion and could lead to a dismissal because the driver’s rights were also violated. So either way you look at it, this was quite literally the worse way to handle it. Think before you post."
Matapos ang masusing imbestigasyon ng pamunuan ng kompanya katuwang ang mga awtoridad, napag-alamang absuwelto sa bintang ang driver matapos umanong mapatunayang hindi totoo ang mga alegasyon sa kaniya ng pasahero.
MAKI-BALITA: Driver na pinaratangang nag-m*sturb*te habang nagmamaneho, naabsuwelto na
Ni-reshare naman ni Deakin ang opisyal na pahayag ng Grab na naka-post sa kanilang opisyal na Facebook page at kinomentuhan sa kaniyang caption.
"TLDR: the girl jumped to an absurd conclusion, the driver was reinstated and compensated for the lost income, and ate girl needs a good lawyer," aniya sa kaniyang Facebook post.
Dagdag pa ni Deakin, "Lesson: stop using social media as a public court."
Umani naman ito ng iba't ibang reaksiyon at komento mula sa netizens.
"Same story in aviation. People go on social media and blame the airline for inconveniences like missing their flight, only for it to be revealed that the person arrived at the airport just 30 minutes before departure."
"Damage has been done... Dapat talaga me karapatang aksyon sa mga maling akusasyon."
"Walang katumbas ang peace of mind na napatunayang wala kang ginawang masama. Mabuti pang ipagpasadiyos na lang yung pagkakamaling nagawa ng pasahero. Nakakasigurado tayong ito ay magiging magandang lesson sa kanya. Hoping na mag-reach out na lang din yung pasahero to personally apologize to close loose ends."
"We should practice the Think Before you Click na parang Slogan ng GMA about Social Media."
Habang isinusulat ang artikulong ito ay wala pang tugon, reaksiyon, o pahayag ang kampo ng driver at ng pasahero patungkol sa inilabas na opisyal na pahayag ng Grab.
