CEBU-BASED personality Jude Bacalso is facing multiple charges after a viral incident where she allegedly forced a waiter to stand for nearly two hours for mistakenly addressing her as "sir."

The Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday, August 28, formally received charges of unjust vexation, grave scandal, grave coercion, grave threats, and slight illegal detention against Bacalso.

The 24-year-old waiter, who requested not to be named, filed the complaint with the help of his lawyer, Atty. Ron Ivan Gingoyon.

The incident occurred on July 21 at a restaurant in a Cebu City mall.

Bacalso reportedly reprimanded the waiter, making him stand in a "parade rest" position for approximately one hour and 49 minutes after he misgendered her.

Netizen John Calderon, who witnessed the event, posted about it on social media, describing how the waiter was visibly distressed and even brought to tears during the ordeal.

Bacalso, a prominent figure in the LGBTQIA community in Cebu, expressed her frustration over the misgendering in a social media post.

She acknowledged that the waiter stood before her but claimed it was not at her insistence.

Bacalso explained that she and the waiter were waiting for the restaurant's management to address the issue, noting her close relationship with the owners, one of whom is a transwoman.

After receiving backlash on social media, Bacalso apologized, admitting that her reaction could have been more compassionate.

"I also realized that in the impassioned pursuit of my advocacy, I could have done with a little measure of kindness, sadly quite absent in the ruckus this has all unnecessarily created when it was made public without our knowledge," portion of her statement reads.

She met with the restaurant's management and other staff members to discuss promoting more inclusive practices, though the waiter involved was not present.

Despite Bacalso's apology and attempts to resolve the matter privately, the waiter decided to pursue legal action nearly a month after the incident.

Gingoyon said the filing of charges was in response to the mental and emotional distress his client endured because of the incident.

Bacalso, who has had a career as a writer, former television personality, and events host, has not yet publicly commented on the charges filed against her.(MyTVCebu)

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