Scottish vlogger criticized for comments about café customers in Baguio

A Scottish travel vlogger drew the ire of Filipinos online for his negative comments about coffee shop customers in Baguio City.

Dale Philip, who has more than 2.8 million YouTube subscribers and 19.8 million TikTok followers, posted a video online where he called out people for purportedly turning a Starbucks branch into their "personal office."

The audacity of white people to make a living off of Filipinos while simultaenously criticizing our own culture and social norms. Didn%u2019t even bother blurring their faces. Nakakainit ng dugo. pic.twitter.com/DhXT6yvbVl

— Ralph %uD83E%uDD13 (@maroontito) November 12, 2023

"Look at all these guys with their laptops just sitting, using it as their personal office. I would hate that," he said.

"I would hate to have a business where people just come and use it as their personal office, use your WiFi and electricity, and buy like one coffee," he added.

"Why do you need to be sitting in somebody's coffee shop to do your work with people disturbing you?... I don't understand it, guys. I don't understand this whole concept," the vlogger said.

Some Filipinos criticized Philip and said he was likely uninformed that such practice is acceptable in the country.

They also defended the customers, noting that Starbucks has long clarified that it allows studying or working in its shops without time limits.

"The audacity of white people to make a living off of Filipinos while simultaneously criticizing our own culture and social norms. Didn’t even bother blurring their faces. Nakakainit ng dugo," one netizen commented.

"plain and simple: PAG DI NAMAN AGAINST STARBUCKS' RULES, IT MEANS OKAY LANG. I've been doing my work in Starbucks for so many years sa iba't ibang branches pero walang ni isa ang nagbawal saken na mag work don bukod sa nagiging friends ko ang mga barista," another social media user said.

Metro News Central has reached out to Philip for comment, but he has yet to reply at press time.