Former Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate blasted on Wednesday, Feb. 18 a Starbucks branch inside a mall in Pampanga for allegedly asking a paying customer and her child on the autism spectrum to leave the establishment.

According to reports, the incident occurred when the child’s parent, Lea, a paying customer, was told they could not stay at the popular coffee shop because they brought in outside food for the child, Elî. This supposedly violated company policy.

Zarate, a lawyer, criticized the rigid application of the rule as a blatant display of insensitivity toward persons with disabilities (PWDs).

"To prioritize a corporate policy over the welfare of a child with special needs is not just callous and bad customer service—it is a violation of the spirit of inclusivity," Zarate said in a statement.

"Starbucks profits from the Filipino people, and in return, they should show basic human decency, not traumatize families already navigating the challenges of raising a child with autism," he said.

Zarate pointed out that bringing outside food is often a medical or therapeutic necessity for individuals with sensory processing disorders, who may have restricted diets or aversions to certain textures and smells.

He noted that while establishments have the right to set policies, these must be implemented with compassion and should yield to exceptions involving PWDs.

"Starbucks boasts about its 'Inclusive Spaces Framework' in other countries—featuring accessibility features for Deaf and disabled customers—yet their Philippine branch cannot even show the simplest form of accommodation for a child on the spectrum. This reveals a hollow commitment to disability rights. It is 'inclusivity' only when it is convenient for their bottom line," Zarate added.

"No wonder many branches of this store worldwide are now closing because it has already lost its soul and basic sense of humanity," he further said.

The former three-term congressman called on the Philippine franchise to issue a formal apology to the family and to conduct mandatory sensitivity training for all staff regarding the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability (Republic Act No. 9442).

"We are calling on the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) to investigate this incident. We cannot allow corporations to treat PWDs and their caregivers as second-class citizens. The 'people first' policy should always trump a corporate policy," Zarate emphasized.

"The management must explain why their rigid adherence to a food rule outweighed their moral and legal obligation to accommodate a child with autism," he said.