A Robinsons mall refuses entry to foreigner with assistance dog.
Several photos of a foreigner laying on the floor in front of one the entrances of Robinsons Dumaguete has gone viral. The photo was taken on August 27, 2014 with one uploader saying that a foreigner wanted to enter the mall facilities, but was prohibited by the security personnel due to he has a pet.
The man was later found out as Mark Cohen, a foreigner who is a certified Person with Disability (PWD). He is struggling with a “neurological disorder with variant symptoms similar to epilepsy, Parkinsosnism, and sensitivity to changes in environment such as temperature and light.”
His pet is named Happy, a certified assistance dog who use to be Cohen’s therapy dog . The man claimed that after Happy came, his functions went well and was able to do this without the help of any other human.
Mark Cohen arrived in the Philippines on August 14, 2014. He plans to retire here. On August 17, he went to Robinsons Place Dumaguete with Happy. Unfortunately, the guard on duty would not let him in because of the mall's strict "no pet allowed inside" policy.
The foreigner was blocked and even closed the entrance door when he tried to get inside. Cohen explained that despite showing papers certifying his use for Cohen he was disallowed. The security people reasoned that they are not allowed to decide on the matter. But, he claimed that he waited for an hour, but no feedback yet from the management. He lay in front of the entrance as a protest.
After an hour, the situation got worse when they called the police and accused Cohen of public disturbance. He was then brought to the police station in handcuffs. This actually was not the first time the big mall refused to let him in.
Robinsons Answered
After the negative comments the company received, Robinsons set the records straight. The management said:
The company added that it welcomes all people in the mall including those with medical conditions and it is standing on upholding the safety of customers.
PWD Rights
The country however has a law providing protection for people like Cohen. The Republic Act No. 7277, or the Magna Carta for Persons with Disability observes the rights to access of all public places in any form of public transportation. The law however doesn’t define assistance dogs to help PWDs.
Ronel Del Rio, a “Promoter” of the “3rd Decade of with Disabilities 2013-2023″ chosen by the United Nations-Economic and Social Commissions in the Asia Pacific (UN-ESCAP), said that the mall didn’t broke any laws, but should have taken in consideration that the dog was a big help for Cohen.
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