Former Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Isagani Zarate issued a stern rebuke today following reports of an incident at a Starbucks branch in SM Pampanga, where a paying customer and her child on the autism spectrum were reportedly asked to leave because the child was consuming outside food.
According to reports, the incident occurred when the child’s parent, Lea, a paying customer, was told they could not stay because the food brought for the child, Elî, violated company policy.
Zarate criticized the rigid application of the rule as a blatant display of insensitivity toward persons with disabilities (PWDs).
“To prioritize a corporate policy over the welfare of a child with special needs is not just callous and bad customer service—it is a violation of the spirit of inclusivity,” Zarate said in a statement.
“Starbucks profits from the Filipino people, and in return, they should show basic human decency, not traumatize families already navigating the challenges of raising a child with autism,” he said.
Zarate pointed out that bringing outside food is often a medical or therapeutic necessity for individuals with sensory processing disorders, who may have restricted diets or aversions to certain textures and smells. He noted that while establishments have the right to set policies, these must be implemented with compassion and should yield to exceptions involving PWDs.
“Starbucks boasts about its ‘Inclusive Spaces Framework’ in other countries—featuring accessibility features for Deaf and disabled customers—yet their Philippine branch cannot even show the simplest form of accommodation for a child on the spectrum . This reveals a hollow commitment to disability rights. It is ‘inclusivity’ only when it is convenient for their bottom line,” Zarate added. “No wonder many branches of this store worldwide are now closing because it has already lost its soul and basic sense of humanity.
The former lawmaker called on the Philippine franchise to issue a formal apology to the family and to conduct mandatory sensitivity training for all staff regarding the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability (Republic Act No. 9442).
“We are calling on the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) to investigate this incident. We cannot allow corporations to treat PWDs and their caregivers as second-class citizens. The ‘people first’ policy should always trump a corporate policy,” Zarate emphasized. “The management must explain why their rigid adherence to a food rule outweighed their moral and legal obligation to accommodate a child with autism.”
Zarate urged the public to continue pushing for a society where no person is left behind.
“Sa Bayan Muna, ang interes ng bawat Pilipino—lalo na ang may espesyal na pangangailangan—ang lagi nating pinoprotektahan. Hindi pwedeng ipagpalit ang kanilang karapatan sa kita ng dayuhang korporasyon,” he concluded.
To prioritize a corporate policy over the welfare of a child with special needs is not just callous and bad customer service—it is a violation of the spirit of inclusivity.
Starbucks profits from the Filipino people, and in return, they should show basic human decency, not traumatize families already navigating the challenges of raising a child with autism. #
