Grab PH Promo Elicits Netizens' Ire for Capitalizing on Showbiz Controversy

Grab Philippines was forced to take down a Facebook ad almost immediately after it was posted on July 23, Tuesday, after a swath of netizens reacted negatively to it.

The ad was meant to promote Grab PH’s six-seater service.

The reason for the negative reaction was that the ad featured six female celebrities--Julia Barretto, Bea Alonzo, Maja Salvador, Pia Wurtzbach, Sarah Geronimo, and Kim Chiu--who have been linked to actor Gerald Anderson at some point in their respective careers.

The now-deleted post was captioned, “"Walang kailangang maiwan. Walang kailangang masaktan. Sa GrabCar 6-seater, pwedeng magsabay-sabay."

The ad drew flak for its insensitivity to the plight of the actresses.

Acknowledging its mistake, Grab removed the post on the same day and issued an apology soon after.

“We apologize for running the light! We were in no way encouraging nor condoning disrespect for women and disrespect within relationships. We admire the love and loyalty that fans have for all these wonderful women. Thank you for reminding us what not to be," Grab PH said in its statement.

The ride-hailing firm added that it will reach out to the women individually to directly apologize for the transgression.