Gonzaga camp addresses cake smearing issue

NETIZENS recently slammed actress and content creator Alex Gonzaga after a clip of her smearing icing over a waiter’s face during her birthday party surfaced online.

Dismayed by Gonzaga’s attitude, several netizens expressed their sympathy toward the server and called the YouTuber “disrespectful and ill-mannered.”

Other media persons, who previously worked with Gonzaga in her acting and modeling gigs, also shared their unpleasant experiences with the actress.

READ: Alex Gonzaga, bad attitude?

In a statement sent by the family’s longtime publicist and friend Peter Ledesma, he said that the waiter, who goes by the name Allan, was a regular waiter tapped by the Gonzaga family to assist with their hosted events.

“This Allan, one of the waiters of Florabel Resto and Catering Service in Valle Verde Pasig, is a friend of Mommy Pinty Gonzaga and [the] Soriano family. Kaya majority of the event of Gonzaga and Soriano family ay sila ang kinukuha ni Mommy Pinty na mag-cater ng food and beverages,” Ledesma wrote.

Since Allan was always present during family events to cater to their guests, Ledesma said he grew accustomed to the Gonzagas, especially to Alex’s mother, Pinty. He also mentioned that Pinty and Allan often tell jokes to each other.

“At itong si Allan ay laging kabiruan ni Mommy Pinty and Alex at ito ang parating nagse-serve sa kanila. Kaya tuwing nagkikita ay binabati agad ni Allan ang mag-mommy, magiliw ito sa kanila,” Ledesma added.

The family publicist emphasized that Gonzaga will never do what she did to someone she doesn’t know.

“Hindi naman magagawa ni Alex, ang magbiro at magpunas ng cake, kung [hindi] sila magkakilala ng said waiter, na sanay na sa pagiging mapagbiro at kikay ni Alex,” he said.

Ledesma also denied Gonzaga was drunk when the video was recorded.

Kris Lawrence backs up Alex Gonzaga

Meanwhile, Filipino-American singer-songwriter Kris Lawrence went to defend Gonzaga from her detractors.

Lawrence posted on his Instagram story saying he thought smothering an icing cake on someone’s face is normal, especially during birthday celebrations.

Photo courtesy: Kris Lawrence | Instagram

The singer also commented on an Instagram video posted by Inquirer, which further triggered the netizens.

“ Let’s fast forward and after this event that waiter just went viral, will probably get ‘something’ after, and a LOT of sympathy,” Lawrence wrote. “Most recognition he ever got as a waiter. So after all the noise…I’m sure he will be grateful that this happened.”

Screengrab from Inquirerdotnet’s Instagram

This comment gave netizens the impression that the singer was “out of touch” and “privileged” for glorifying Gonzaga’s insensitive and inappropriate behavior.

While several netizens called out Lawrence for his remarks, he clarified that he was not justifying Gonzaga’s actions but rather disagrees with how people online have been perceiving it as a negative thing.

Screengrab from Inquirerdotnet’s Instagram

Lawrence also questioned why netizens have been “demonizing” the act of putting cake on someone’s face at parties as he thought it was “normal.” The singer also called to stop the bullying on Gonzaga.

Screengrab from Inquirerdotnet’s Instagram

Gonzaga unfollows Dani Barretto on Instagram

The video clip featuring Alex Gonzaga smearing off icing on a server’s cake went viral on various social media platforms after Dani Barretto, Gonzaga’s friend and Marjorie Barretto’s daughter, posted the said clip on her Instagram story.

Barretto eventually deleted the video after it gained attention from the netizens.

Gonzaga, who was previously following Barretto on Instagram, seemed to have unfollowed the entrepreneur.

Banner courtesy: Alex Gonzaga’s Instagram