Dear Kababayan and Allies:

I heard through the grapevine about a remark made on an episode of"Desperate Housewives" last night. The scene entailed Teri Hatcher's character (Susan) at a hospital, being told by her gynecologist that she might be hitting menopause. Susan replied, "Can I just check those diplomas because I just want to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines." If you go to abc.com, you watch the full episode and witness the scene at about 18:50 minutes into the episode.

This type of derogatory remark is not only unnecessary and hurtful, but is also unfounded, considering the presence of Filipinos and
Filipino Americans in the health care industry. Filipinos are the second largest immigrant population in the United States, with many
entering the U.S. and passing their U.S. licensing boards as doctors, nurses, and medical technicians. In fact, the Philippines produces more U.S. nurses than any other country in the world.

So, to belittle the education, experience, or value of Filipino Americans in health care is disrespectful and plain and simply ignorant.
As Filipino Americans, we need to band together to ensure that this type of hateful message is not allowed to continue on our television and radio airwaves. Given the recent amounts of media attention that has been given to Michael Richards (against African Americans), Isaiah  Washington (against gays), and Rosie O'Donnell (against Asian/ Chinese Americans), it is ridiculous that this type of hateful speech made it through various screenwriters, the show's producers, the show's actors, and ABC itself. Yet, this isn't the first time that negative remarks have been made about the Philippines or Filipinos in the past.

In recent years, we've heard one too many "dogeater" comments by "comedian" Joan Rivers on the red carpet or in her standup act, and I believe that it is about time that we stand up for ourselves, so that this type of hateful speech never happens again.

Please join me in expressing your concern, disappointment, and/or disgust to the producers of ABC.com. You can sign the petition here or you can reach them directly This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

And please feel free to forward this widely to other Filipinos/Filipino Americans/ Asian Americans/ and other allies.

Sincerely,
Kevin Nadal,
Filipino Performance Artist/ Activist
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Comments

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tedmod  - hateful remarks!   |2007-10-01 17:28:39 They will all hear from us soon! Thanks to Kevin Nadal!

Binky  - Ridiculous   |2007-10-02 08:20:26 It is SO ridiculous to make such an uneducated joke. Don't they know that a vast amount of Filipino Americans are healthcare workers? And any medical course in the Philippines is comparable to any course here, if not even MORE comprehensive. Ri diculous!

Astrid Kirchherr  - totally uncalled for!   |2007-10-02 08:32:35 the joke was done in bad taste. it is hurtful and damaging to the thousands of filipinos and filipino-americans in the medical field. ABC should apologize.

Gordon Freeman  - Lighten Up   |2007-10-02 09:01:18 Weak. You're all crying about this? You need to lighten up. Stop complaining about every little negative thing said about us. Besides, this is what we get for cheating. Let me refresh your memory: 2006 Philippine Nursing Exam SCANDAL. I win.

tedmod  - no need to fight here   |2007-10-02 09:16:47 Please refrain from fighting with other members here. You are entitled to your opinion, but please refrain from posting negative comments about other users. We don't encourage that here. Thank you.

Binky  - BTW   |2007-10-02 09:44:00 I'm not crying! And I don't think she was referring to a nurse or the nursing exam scandal in the show.

Astrid Kirchherr  - a sad fact   |2007-10-02 09:51:13 your IP address tells us you're from the philippines. i just observed that filipinos living in other countries are more patriotic than those in the motherland. a sad fact.

PAO  - WAT DA!!   |2007-10-02 10:08:37 Gordon!u tryn to say that my parents n brother/sister CHEATED to be a doctor? u better check ur self,careful what u say,im pist off as it is,maybe u CHEATED to pass GRADESCHOOL! can u even read?it said DOCTOR not NURSE! F.Y.I.,ABC ,..my father and brother's patients,some are here on YOUR LAND,what that mean?some of YOUR people DONT trust your own!and u got a nerve to give that kind of remarks!

superdaimos  - easy lang...   |2007-10-02 11:13:57 Pao, easi ka lang ... ang puso mo... ang puso mo... [smiley=laugh]... on a serious note.. i personally didn't see the episode yet but it leaves a bad taste in your mouth...[smiley=thin k]

RoKr  - messed up!   |2007-10-02 12:48:36 this is soo messed up! ABC should apologize to us--filipinos and to filipino-americans!

mOjAkO  - sucks...   |2007-10-02 15:25:40 that's wrong mehn! i have some friends who are in the medical field and this is just an insult to them. lemm tell ya, i don't like it when other people insults my friends. grrrr!!!![smiley=ang ry][smiley=angry][sm iley=angry]

kamote_production  - how sad...   |2007-10-02 17:21:38 [smiley=shock] its shocking enough to hear this racist comment on air but whats more saddening is that even our own kababayan thinks that its ok, and expects us to just brush it off our shoulders... well here's the deal to those who thinks that this is ok... ITS NOT OK AND WE WILL DEFENITELY NOT JUST LOOK AT OUR SHOULDERS AND SAY THAT ITS ALRIGHT!! I give a big ratz azz coz i am in the medical field, my parents are in the medical field, and my relatives are also in the medical field. Though i didnt take my schooling in the philippines but my family did. Look, maybe what you're saying is right that "medical education in the philippines is poor".. maybe your right.. but we do take the same exams for licensing, and we do pass them.. so doesnt that prove that we are still under the school standards of the U.S.?? AND NOTE THAT THE U.S. GIVE THIS LICENSING EXAMS.. so even if they took their schooling in the philippines,

voltes5  - disappointing   |2007-10-03 02:17:16 i hope this doesn't go unnoticed. shame on ABC for being insensitive. and even saddened that some of our fellow kababayans would even think this is ok. i guess western mentality has robbed some of our people that nationalistic pride. what a shame...

pedrong apoy  - haaaay gordon...   |2007-10-03 05:00:40 mahalin mo pilipinas, it's all we got.

lynlyn00si   |2007-10-03 11:17:02 Amazing, when I signed the petition, I was like around 500 or 600. Now there's over 34,000 digital signatures!

lynlyn00si   |2007-10-03 11:18:35 Oh by the way, there's a ton of American doctors at my hospital who did their medical training in the Philippines. So what does that say about the education there?!?!?!?!

Pnoy11   |2007-10-03 15:29:34 Who the hell comes up w/ that stuff? Good thing I don't watch that show anyway!

mickeymhayie  - such a shame   |2007-10-03 15:51:12 that's just really sad!! ABC must be very "desperate" to increase the rating of that show to make such a racist comment coz only then could that show be talked about again. to Mr Gordon, I am Pinoy, and I am a nursing student, I might not have studied in the Philippines but I am darn proud of all the filipinos in the medical field,, you should be too. "ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling BANSA ay higit pa ang amoy sa mabahong isda"

exiledangel  - too bull   |2007-10-04 06:35:09 im upset of what the show had said..[smiley=sad] that's not a joke...it a bull for them to tell those things of not even thinking who are the people that are helping them with TLC!!

qwatrokantos   |2007-10-04 08:56:22 Ilan sa Litirato dapat sa krus ipako.

JiNG R.A.  - Apology "kuno" issued by ABC   |2007-10-08 12:51:23 I picked up a copy of the newspaper Asian Journal from Cusinera in Bergenfield. The writer supposedly issued an apology. How the in the bloody hell the racist line pass by everyone else. The director of the show says the last cut & print. There's the editing crew. There's the actress who's the least clueless of what she just read on the screen. There's the producer. Each & everyone responsible should be issuing each individual apology....to each individual Filipino doctor offended, each parents who sent & spend each Filipino doctor to Philippine med school, to each Philippine med school...and so on & so forth. WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY THINKING! OR YET...THEY WERE NOT THINKING @ ALL! WAR IS FROM IGNORANCE! "A NG TATANGA!"

Adamanteve   |2007-11-13 16:14:25 Why in the world should we "lighten up?" Filipinos so seldom get mentioned in American entertainment, then when we do, we get this? What is there to lighten up about? I think that remark was completely ignorant and offensive. People have to keep an open perspective. How would white people feel if said on TV that they're all serial killers? How would black people feel if I said something as inane as all of them living in the ghetto? I'm sorry, but the last thing Filipinos should do is "lighten up" about this like we're beholden to EVERYONE except our own country.

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