Itong Baklang Ito

I was liquidating receipts from last week's event when I noticed that 3 of the official receipts from Landmark Makati were actually just sales invoices. These were dated March 21, March 22, and March 26.

I had one of the complex's messengers go to Landmark's customer service table to have these replaced with official receipts. He came back saying that Landmark refused to give him official receipts, and that the tape receipts the cash registers issue are actually official receipts already. Perplexed, I called the customer service table to clarify what went wrong. On one of the dates, I was actually with my staff when we purchased the items, and we were directed to the customer service table at the ground level when my assistant asked for an official receipt. I explained to her that I needed to have the receipts liquidated with my accounting department, and that I need the tape receipts that were left with them. She told me that these were not going to be released within 24 hours, and that it would take a week.

It was quite unacceptable especially since I was sure that their customer service personnel did not inform any of my staff that they would only be issuing sales invoices. The woman I spoke to on the phone was explaining to me that the tape receipts were the official receipts and that the written receipts they issue are just sales invoices, and that they inform the people who go to the customer service table of this. I told her we were not informed, since in one of the instances, I was there, and we were not informed at all of that particular condition. I asked her who was on duty on those dates, and she, Li-J Chua/Chan was on duty during all three dates. I insisted that the tape receipts be located at once since the non-information came from their end.

She couldn't understand what I needed, or my defense. She asked to put me on hold.

Obviously, their phones do not have mute buttons, and she just tried to cover the speaker of the handset and said to her co-worker, "Hindi ko na maintindihan ITONG BAKLANG ITO. Ang hirap kausap. Nasaan na ba ang supervisor natin?"

I heard everything. As soon as the phone was given to her supervisor Cynthia, I asked if they had mute buttons over the phone. I informed Cynthia that I heard what Li-J had said, and that I resented being called BAKLA. I told her that what Li-J said was such a bigot statement. She did not know what bigot meant, so I defined it to her:

"...a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance."

I told her not to go anywhere, and that I would go to Landmark to tell them what I want. 

Upon arriving at the customer service table, I announced to the three women seated there that the BAKLA has arrived. Nandito na itong BAKLANG ito. 

Li-J couldn't even speak to me. I told her that I wasn't taking our conversation personally, and that she was the one who made it personal by calling me using a derogatory term. I told her I never called her pobre, bobo, puta, or... since she was Filipino-Chinese, Intsik-Bejong abnormal. 

She made it personal by calling me a BAKLA. My parents did not pay for an Ateneo education just for this woman to belittle me and my sexual preference. I did not work my butt off to get into UP Diliman just for her to regard me so lowly by calling me a faggot. I told her that it was not right to call black people NIGGERS, and that she will not call black people like that to their faces. I told her it was not right to call homosexuals faggots, and that BAKLA is tantamount to saying FAGGOT. 

Unfortunately for her, this BAKLA is not your ordinary parlor gay. This BAKLA lives in fancy houses, in condominiums, drives around in fancy SUVs, wears hundred thousand peso watches, and sports the latest and most expensive technology pieces. I am no ordinary BAKLA. 

What type of customer service does Landmark offer if one of their regular employees, like Li-J, would just loosely call people using derogatory terms. What type of management does Landmark have if they tolerate bigots in the workplace?

A crowd of salesladies arrived to watch the scene. I made things interactive for them. Pointed to two, and asked them if they were regular employees or contractual employees. They were contractual employees. I asked one of them if they would call a customer they were speaking to over the phone BAKLA. She replied she wouldn't because she respects the people she interacts with at work, co-workers or customers. 

RESPECT.

I was not respected by Li-J. To her, I was nothing but some makulit na BAKLA. 

I am a Filipino. I work and pay my taxes. I work hard and contribute to the countries GDP. I am a Filipino and yet I am not accorded with the same rights that my heterosexual counterparts are given. I cannot marry the person I love here in my country. I will have to go to some foreign land and marry my boyfriend there, but my country will never recognize our union. Our assets will never be shared. As much as I want to share everything with him, I can only put my name or his name at each property that we buy. I am not given the same rights as my countrymen and to make things worse, I am not respected by the staff of Landmark just because of my preference. To Landmark, I am a third class citizen regardless of how much I spend in their department store. 

7-day suspension is not enough. After that, she returns to work and its as if nothing has happened. If indeed Landmark does not tolerate bigots, they should let her go. I will no longer be able to shop freely in their department store because I now have the impression that all their salesladies are bigots, if their regular employee manning customer service is given free reign at calling customers derogatory terms.
 
If she is let go, she will find another job and forget everything that happened to her today, March 27th. I will have to live with the fact that a Landmark employee insulted me, when my complaint was right, when it was indeed their lapse for not informing us of the ORs and sales invoices. 


Where is the justice?