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Dear Auntie Patti Koh,

I was in Manila,Philippines last mMarch and of course I wandered around nice places and see what is new. I was checking my camera this morning and found a picture that I have taken at Hotel Sofitel Philippine Plaza which was formerly the Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel.

I went with my wife to their restaurant called, Spiral which was located at the lower level of the hotel lobby. The restaurant is a buffet style place and I was relly shocked when I saw the arrays of food in abundance at this place. It was beyond compare with the buffet at any of the hotels in Las Vegas.

They have Japanses, American, Spanish, Arabic, Indian, Korean, Chinese and Pinoy cuisine that is in abundance not to mention the sweet table that has also varieties of desserts that is sugar free.

I was so engrossed to this partiuclar seafood setting, which picture I have taken. It is a big couldron with all the fresh seafood varities planted on ice. There are the tiger prwans (cooked) there are also Kuracha( a type of crab that is found in Zamboanga only, Southern part of the Phils.), there are also oysters, mussels and other type of seafood varieties that I don't know the name. When I took the picture of this couldron, the hotel security guard approached me and told me that I cannot take picture without the permission of the Food & Beverage Manager. So I told him, that I will stop taking the picture because I have no intention of asking permission from anybody. I was explaining to him that they should be happy that me being a returning resident (Balikbayan) I am so elated with the setup. One thing I noticed, they did not stop the tourists and other foreigners taking the pictures of the place and the surrounding tables where all the food was displayed. I asked this hotel security about this and he does not know what to answer me. So I just drop the whole thing. I have no intention on arguing that evening because I was there to eat.

And so Auntie Patti Koh, that actions and policies of this hotel seems does not apply with any of the tourists and foreigners that is in this hotel restaurant. I was being discriminated in my own country. When I was paying the waiter, I told him about the incident and he told me not to worry about it. I told him that I was worried because I felt I was discriminated. And the strange thing about this, I was paying in cash and the tourists and foreiners are paying with their plastic money. I was sick to my stomach.

So, I will not return back to this place and will tell some of my relatives not to do so also. I don't want them to be discriminated in their own country by their own Kababayan.