Raymond Gutierrez is making the rounds on the internet following his birthday celebration.
His “mañanita” with other party-goers and friends went viral after they disregard quarantine protocols about mass gatherings despite knowing that the new variant of COVID-19 is already in the Philippines. It also led to the venue, La Picara, a Spanish restaurant in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), to be shut down after violating the maximum capacity for customers.
Moreover, Taguig Mayor Lino Cayetano revealed that the posh restaurant has been breaking quarantine protocols since September 2020.
“While we are aggressive in wanting all business to reopen, there are some restaurants and tenants which are just abusive. Their co-tenants are the ones reporting to us their rampant violations,” said Mayor Cayetano.
As a result, the 37-year-old host received backlash from netizens who expressed their concern regarding the employees of the restaurant.
@Pulitika2010 wrote that all establishments, even hotels have had difficulties when it comes to hosting or holding social gatherings because of the pandemic. However, La Picara ignored the current situation and did not heed the LGU’s rules.
https://twitter.com/Pulitika2010/status/1353284782851903488
@talljohnsuh also expressed his disappointment in the celebrity host who did not think about the effect of having many people in a restaurant at once. For the Twitter user, it is every person’s responsibility to not aid in the spread of the deadly virus.
U know what makes me really angry.
literally the only contribution I can make to my community is not contributing to the swarm of people moving around the country nonessentially
And then you have fucking Raymond Gutierrez celebrating his birthday in a packed club
— old hag²⁹ (@talljohnsuh) January 24, 2021
@_mightysavior condemned the action of the celebrity host after he organized a birthday party. He emphasized that other people are doing their best to be responsible in order to minimize the spread of the coronavirus and yet Gutierrez held a party without taking into consideration the consequences.
So Raymond Gutierrez, how does it feel to party when everyone else is trying their best not to spread the virus? Also how will you pay all the workers who probably doesn't have jobs anymore just bec you all have partied? https://t.co/q0HbJ7eKPA
— seb (@_mightysavior) January 25, 2021
@JoseHaciendero also chimed in by asking Gutierrez considered if his party was more important than the jobs of the employees.
On the scale of 1 to Raymond Gutierrez, how many workers did you put at risk of facing unemployment?
— Alex Isn't Here Anymore (@JoseHaciendero) January 25, 2021
Even though they claimed that they are “PCR tested”, photos showed the obvious violations the protocols imposed by the LGU. It was pointed out by @mnoreenp after she tweeted her reaction regarding the celebration of the celebrity host.
https://twitter.com/mnoreenp/status/1353355527171035137
Because of the party, the restaurant was closed down which resulted in its employees losing their primary source of income. @macronikki pointed out that even though establishments such as restaurants now have allowed dining in, it is not enough reason to rush into having parties with the pandemic still going.
Just because restaurants are open and dining in is slowly being allowed doesnt mean we can start to have parties in public. Kahit na pcr test pa. Very irresponsible of Raymond Gutierrez and friends.
Irresponsible.
— Aling Sylvia Ster Stalong (@macronikki) January 24, 2021
Netizens who heard the news shared the same concern—the workers who now have lost their source of income. Netizens such as @dailystantwt expressed their resentment towards rich people like Raymond Gutierrez.
tangina napasara yung la picara kasi nagparty dun si raymond gutierrez, sino ang affected, syempre yung mga service crew na mawawalan ng trabaho
I will guillotine the rich talaga apaka hinayupak mga gagu kayo
— peach #oustOA (@dailytaynew) January 24, 2021
For some netizens like @miguelbading, isolating rich people to stop them from making the lives of the middle and poor Filipinos even harder is a good solution to help minimize those privileged from causing more trouble, like spreading the virus even more.
I suggest quarantine rich people and stop them from causing middle class and poor families from losing their jobs. Fuck u raymond gutierrez.
— migi (@sanmigfight) January 24, 2021
Meanwhile, @njytolentino pointed out that the culprit, Raymond Gutierrez, was not given proper punishment for what he has done. Instead, the restaurant, La Picara was closed down, only to make its employees look for jobs at this kind of situation. The netizen also pointed out that it was a clear case of having double standards in the country.
The restaurant where Raymond Gutierrez had his party was closed yet no charges yet for Mond. You see the double standards?
— Salacious Paula Nicole (@njytolentino) January 24, 2021
@theycallmefern also agreed by asking what were the police doing in order to stop an obvious violation of quarantine protocol—prohibition of social gatherings—that is understood as being unfair for the majority of Filipinos who were not as privileged as Gutierrez.
Bakit walang mga police na nagraid sa party ni Raymond Gutierrez? Unfair talaga.
— they call me fern ✨ (@theycallmefern) January 24, 2021
Disregarding quarantine
Taguig City, like other cities have imposed quarantine protocols for a reason. Prohibiting mass gatherings like the one done by Raymond Gutierrez is prohibited in order to curb the spread of the coronavirus. It is also for the safety of everyone, including those who attended the party.
With the recent issue of the TV host, celebrating his birthday like that, it is something that Filipinos should be concerned to. Everyone is doing their best to follow the guidelines imposed by the LGUs. Breaking this simple rule would endanger everyone, even those who did not attend the party.
Justice for the rich? Only in the Philippines
Earlier, the mayor of Taguig City ordered the closure of the restaurant where Raymond Gutierrez have gathered his friends to celebrate his birthday with.
Mayor Lino Cayetano released a statement regarding the incident. The closure of La Picara is meant to establish the authority of the mayor to impose punishment for violators.
“We will not allow a few irresponsible establishments to compromise our efforts in making Taguig a model community for living in the new normal. We will strive to implement health and safety protocols so that businesses in Taguig can thrive. The City Government has been in constant dialogue with BGC, Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation (FBDC) officials, and other stakeholders. Our joint efforts have kept Taguig, including BGC, as one of the safest cities to live, work, and do business in,”
However, the perpetrator left unscathed by the violation he just made. Meanwhile, those who work in the establishment are now jobless. Like most netizens, it also felt that this “justice” is only meant for the rich who can afford it. Unlucky for those who do not enjoy the same stature in life, like those working in the restaurant, they are now jobless, along with the problem that the economy is still trying to regain its strength from the backlash it is still receiving from Covid-19.
