Netizens, group say Balesin’s ‘yaya’s meal’ is discrimination

The "yaya's meal" served at the exclusive Balesin Island Club is an example of the class discrimination in this country, some social media users and at least one group declared.

"The existence of yaya meals, in fact, the very act of labeling a group of meals as such, is an appalling and offensive display of discrimination considering the income and wealth inequality that continue to grip our country," said Akbayan Representative Barry Gutierrez in a statement Tuesday.

Balesin's menu option became a hotly discussed topic online when beauty queen and actress Maggie Wilson-Consunji complained that her mother was told she could not order the same meal Consunji's nanny got as it was a "yaya's meal."

Consunji clarified that the resort does not stop club members' staff from ordering what they want, if their employers let them. However, she said, "[T]he fact that there are people who don't want their yaya's [sic] to eat whatever they want to is beyond me. Hence the resort having to offer a 'yaya's meal'. I still find that offensive."

Consunji did not specify which of the island resort's seven restaurants they were in.

On Monday, Balesin Island Club CEO and director Mike Asperin responded to the online reaction to Consunji's post, saying that yaya meals exist as an option for club members.

Asperin's statement did not sit well with many Facebook users, with some commenters describing the perceived "arrogance" in its tone and others decrying the fact that yaya's meals are even an option on the club menu.

Trina Carlos Abellar also wrote, "The mere idea of having an option specifically for yayas is discriminating! You are literally encouraging your guests to treat them as such!"

Others suggested that Balesin should at least change the meal's name.

"Damage control, for crying out loud, don't call it yaya meals. You should fire your marketing department," said Facebook user Mark Reyes.

"It's bad enough that you used yaya meal instead of something less offensive (Value meal? Basic meal? Lots of options, really), but what's with the continuous use of the word yaya in quotation marks? It just sounds off," said Patricia Perez.

"I have understood from the start that they won't stop nannies from ordering what they want. But really, this 'official statement' is what drove me nuts," Doreen Yap added.

GMA News Online sought comment from Balesin Island Club and operator Alphaland Corporation on the origin and make-up of the yaya's meals, but Alphaland's corporate communications department said that neither the company nor the resort will further comment on the issue since Asperin already issued a statement. — BM, GMA News