Former Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate on Wednesday issued a stern rebuke following reports of an incident at a Starbucks branch in SM Pampanga, where a paying customer and her child on the autism spectrum were allegedly asked to leave for bringing outside food.

According to reports cited by Zarate, the incident involved Lea, a paying customer, who was told she and her child, Elî, could not stay because the food brought for the child violated company policy.

Zarate criticized what he described as the rigid enforcement of store rules, calling it a 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 noted that bringing outside food can be a medical or therapeutic necessity for individuals with sensory processing disorders, who may have restricted diets or aversions to certain textures and smells. While businesses have the right to set policies, he said, these should be implemented with compassion and allow 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."

The former lawmaker called on the Philippine franchise to issue a formal apology to the family and to conduct mandatory sensitivity training for staff on 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."

Zarate urged the public to continue pushing for greater inclusion.

"Sa Bayan Muna, ang interes ng bawat Pilipino—lalo na ang may espesyal na pangangailangan—ang lagi nating pinoprotektahan. Hindi pwedeng ipagpalit ang kanilang karapatan sa kita ng dayuhang korporasyon," he concluded.