Actress Xyriel Manabat seeks accountability over sexualized online comments of TNVS driver

Actress Xyriel Manabat expressed her firm intent to seek accountability after a driver posted a photo of her online accompanied by inappropriate and sexualized remarks. 

Despite the removal of the original post, screenshots continue to circulate, highlighting the severity of the misconduct.

In an interview, the “18th Rose” actress admitted she initially had no idea about the viral post of the Transport Network Vehicle Services (TNVS) driver because she is not always using her mobile phone.

“Hindi kasi ako pala-phone. But now that I’m seeing this, I’m sure that I will do something about it,” Xyriel said.

She said she only realized something was wrong when her fellow "Pinoy Big Brother" (PBB) housemate AZ Martinez repeatedly tried to contact her.

A Facebook post from an account under the name “Boss Toyo Mansi” went viral after it showed a selfie with Xyriel and captions that sexualized her. Fans also called out the post after it included lewd remarks like “ang LAKI ng bata na ’yan.”

The account has since been deleted, but screenshots continue to circulate online.

Xyriel said she did not expect to be harassed on a routine trip to work using a ride-hailing app. “Imagine kung gaano kahirap iyong buhay ng isang babae," she said.

She expressed disappointment that even after showing kindness to the driver, she still experienced inappropriate behavior.

“It is never about the piece of clothing. [Nakasuot] ako ng pangtrabaho. Nag-tip pa nga ako. I hope your family, or worse if you have a daughter, sana makita nila ’to.”

Xyriel, 22, said the issue is important to her because of her long-standing advocacy for protecting women from harassment and sexualization.

She said  she expects the company to take decisive action as the incident underscores the need for protection for women using ride-hailing services. 

“Hindi dapat nagiging entertainment ‘yan in any form,” she said. “And at the same time, I hope the app should do something about this because it’s not petty.”

“Even before naman ako bumalik sa showbiz, isa sa reason kung ba’t ako umingay, kasi I’m really vocal about protecting women, protecting me against any sexual assault or sexualizing women. ‘Yun talaga ‘yung advocacy ko,” she said.

STATEMENT FROM GRAB PHILIPPINES

Meanwhile, Grab Philippines has issued a statement confirming the driver's preventive suspension and their commitment to a full investigation.

"At Grab, we practice zero tolerance for inappropriate contact and other misconduct," the company said.

"Rest assured, we have invited the driver involved as part of our full investigation and are committed to taking the necessary actions," it added.

In its latest update, the company issued a statement on the same platform, apologizing for the actress’ “unacceptable” experience with a driver. It said the incident was “deeply concerning” and does not reflect the standards it enforces on its platform.

“We are already in direct contact with Ms. Manabat, have offered our full support and ensured her concerns were heard. We are also prepared to cooperate fully with relevant authorities,” Grab said in a statement.

-Kim Asis/Paraluman News