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Xyriel Manabat addresses a viral post about a TNVS driver, whom her fans called out for allegedly sexualizing the actress. Screenshot from video by Anna Cerezo, ABS-CBN News
Xyriel Manabat is firm she will take action against a TNVS driver who allegedly made lewd remarks about a photo he supposedly posted of them together online.
Fans called out the account under the name “Boss Toyo Mansi” after he shared a selfie with the actress with the caption “ang laki ng bata na ’yan” and later made indecent comments including “jak*l.”
“Hindi ko ’yan papalampasin. Hindi dapat gawing entertainment ’yan in any form. I hope the platform or app will do something about this. It is not petty,”Manabat said in an interview after the ABS-CBN News team showed her a screenshot of the post.
Manabat said the photo was taken on Tuesday, when she booked a TNVS ride to work, expressing surprise and dismay that a routine trip turned into a negative experience.
She added she was disappointed that despite showing kindness to the driver, she was met with inappropriate behavior.
“Sobrang nagulat ako. Papunta lang ako ng work niyan — imagine gaano kahirap buhay ng babae. Nag-work ka lang, nagpa-pic lang — you are being kind, you are being a decent human being, you get this in return,” she said.
“It is never about the piece of clothing? Naka pang-work ako. Maayos ako nakipag-usap. Nag-tip pa ako. I hope your mom, family, sister, wife, daughter, makita nila 'to. Makitang ganyan ka na tao.”
The actress had long been vocal about speaking out for the marginalized, especially women.
“I am never scared to express my passion about protecting women, victims of any gender and age — those who are voiceless. There is nothing to be scared. It fuels reason to be more brave and spread awareness,” she added.
On X, Grab Philippines responded to a user who raised the issue, saying it was investigating the matter.
"At Grab, we practice zero tolerance for inappropriate contact and other misconduct," the company said.
"Rest assured, we have invited the driver involved as part of our full investigation and are committed to taking the necessary actions," it added.