All’s well that ends well for University of the Philippines forward Francis Lopez and a staff member of an amusement park in Subic Bay.
The University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 86 Rookie of the Year along with Fighting Maroons team captain CJ Cansino went back to Subic Fiesta Carnival on Friday to personally apologize to one of its employees involved in a viral video.
Lopez drew flak from netizens after a vlog posted by Cansino on 18 December, saw the 6-foot-6 star grabbing the mask of an employee on a horror train ride.
His action put the employee, who quickly put his mask back on, in danger as the train was moving.
Lopez and Cansino issued separate public apologies and had sought audience with the aggrieved employee.
Two weeks after the incident, the two met with the 21-year-old worker, who requested to remain unnamed, to clear the air.
“There is no excuse for what we did. We try to make something right out of this. This is a life lesson for me,” Lopez said.
In turn, the staff member expressed his appreciation for the State University players’ effort to reach out in the middle of the holidays.
“No hard feelings anymore,” the employee said in the meeting where Subic Fiesta Carnival owner Gloria Quiros as well as Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Office of the Deputy Administrator for Corporate Affairs officer-in-charge Armie Llamas and her team were also present.
For her part, Quiros stated that the UP Fighting Maroons were respectful guests who saw to it to chat and take photos with Subic Fiesta Carnival employees and patrons during their visit.
“We were actually happy they visited us before. They were very welcoming to fans and to our staff. We appreciate them for giving us time to return here,” she said.
In the spirit of the holiday season, Lopez gifted the carnival worker with a signed jersey and UP Fighting Maroons team shirt.
The Subic Fiesta Carnival remains open to the public until February 2024.
