Actress Liza Soberano assured her fans that she and her colleagues will deal with the employees of a telecommunication firm who allegedly uttered rape jokes about her.
Soberano made this reply last Sunday in response to a tweet of her fan who criticized and identified the employees who supposedly made these lewd comments online.
The main tweet tagged the Twitter accounts of the actress and her manager Ogie Diaz and then said: “if pinalampas nyo ulit ito mauulit lang ulit with other people. People less influential than you. Stop the cycle.”
“Don’t worry, we won’t let this one pass. They know my address,” the actress responded.
Don’t worry we won’t let this one pass. They know my address.
— Liza Soberano (@lizasoberano) September 20, 2020
She was referring to Converge, a major telecommunication company in the country that became the subject of her rants last September 6, citing their slow internet services.
READ: ‘Unhappy’ Liza Soberano lashes out at internet service provider, Pemberton release
Days later, the actress made an update that she got a faster 300 MBPS internet connection from a different provider.
In another Twitter thread on September 9, Soberano clarified that it was not her intention to brag about her privilege and called out all internet providers to improve their services.
Soberano also bared that some employees leaked her personal information online.
“And to that employee of my ex internet provider who divulged personal information. Don’t try to turn this on me. My whole rant was about bad customer service. That’s pretty sketchy of you trying to make it look like it’s my fault why I have bad internet,” she said.
‘Rape is not a joke’
The phrase “rape is not a joke” trended on Twitter Philippines last Sunday, September 20 after some of her fan accounts found such remarks on Facebook, made screenshots of them and shared it on the micro-blogging platform.
They claimed that the Facebook users who made the rape jokes were Converge employees.
While the page where the comments came from is difficult to trace, the names and faces of these Facebook users have already circulated on social media as Soberano’s fans and other concerned Filipinos rallied behind the actress to call them out.
Twitter page Kapamilya Online World was among the accounts that shared the screenshot and even tagged Converge’s Twitter account in its tweet.
In the screenshot attached, the user said: “Wala tayong magagawa, wala ng trabaho, kaya di bale ng masira ang image, magkapera lang. Sarap ipa-rape sa mga…ewan!”
LOOK: 'Rape is not a joke' as fans of Liza Soberano lash out at employees of @Converge_CSU over alleged rape remark against the actress.
Converge Sales Head Personnel Melissa Olaes wished someone to be raped because that someone complained about the poor service of Converge. pic.twitter.com/O2ob4AOuPg
— Kapamilya Online World (@kowalerts) September 20, 2020
A Twitter user also shared screenshots of Facebook post of the supposed employee Melisa Olaes, who admitted it was her comment making rounds online and noted that she sent it at a private Facebook group.
Although she did not mention Soberano, the user appeared to recognize that it was wrong for her to make such jokes.
Other Filipinos also recalled Soberano’s previous tweets that some of them leaked her personal information online.
“I really don’t know what’s with Converge’s employees but the way they handled Liza Soberano’s complaint speaks volume about themselves,” one user said.
The telco firm’s response
In a series of tweets on Monday, September 21, Converge ICT stressed that their company does not tolerate “the wrongful comments and behavior” these employees have toward any client or customer.
“We are deeply concerned about the wrongful comments and behavior of some employees over social media. We do not tolerate such actions toward any customer and emphasize that their personal opinions do not reflect the company’s perspective, values, and culture,” the telco firm said.
“We are currently dealing with this matter and we will carry out disciplinary measures accordingly,” it added.
In a press release, the internet provider announced that they’re continuously improving their capabilities to meet the increase in demand for faster and reliable internet connections.
“To meet consumer needs effectively, we are continuously working on improving our response times, investing in our people, and addressing last-mile connectivity challenges,” said Dennis Anthony Uy, Converge ICT Founder and Chief Executive Officer.
“Stable internet connectivity has become vital for families working and studying at home. Likewise, an uninterrupted connection is key for enterprises who are striving to complete their own digital transformations,” Uy added.
