Attorneys in San Francisco are seeking at least 50 doctors to join the $500 million class action defamation lawsuit being prepared against ABC.
The not-so-veiled bigotry against Filipinos voiced in the September 30th “Desperate Housewives” episode has sparked worldwide outrage at the slur against doctors educated in the Philippines.
On Saturday, San Francisco Filipinos joined others who already had picketed in Burbank, New York, and Washington, D.C. The Filipino Anti-Defamation Coalition gathered a group of mostly Filipino physicians and nurses in front of The Disney Store to declare their outrage at Terri Hatcher’s offending remark.
News stories in the mainstream press about the negative reaction of Filipinos to the “Desperate Housewives” denigration of physicians with diplomas from “med schools in the Philippines” caused AOL to conduct a nationwide poll and ask its Internet users whether there was “good reason for some to be offended by this joke”. [AOL already presumed it was just a "joke".]
Surprisingly, notwithstanding the bias of the question, 27% of those polled agreed with the view that “it has racial implications”. This percentage is the same statistic as the number of Americans who still support President Bush’s handling of the Iraq War, according to recent surveys.
AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR By William M. Esposo Tuesday, October 16, 2007
A group of Filipino doctors in California banded together and announced that they will file a $500 million damage suit against the producers of the ABC TV series Desperate Housewives over that Teri Hatcher slur about Philippine medical schools. This announcement was aired on TV Patrol of ABS-CBN last Friday.
At high noon today across from the busy Union Square in San Francisco, the Filpino Anti-Defamation Coalition (FAC) organized a well attendedf picket of over 50 people, mostly Filipino phycicians and nurses, along with community people, social justice groups, and students in front of the Disney Store at Powell and Post. with plenty of picket signs and leaflets, the protestors took their angry message about the first episode of ” Desperate Housewives” to the several hundred shoppers, tourists, and Asians who were out on this sunny Saturday. The beautiful day was perfect for our protest.
When she was mayor of San Francisco, Dianne Feinstein used to tell her close friends that her favorite ethnic group was the Filipino community. While other ethnic groups would badger her and demand appointments to major commissions and funding for their community programs, the Filipinos, she said, would be satisfied with just getting a little attention, having their photos taken with her. It took take very little to satisfy the Filipino community. Mababaw ang kaligayahan natin.
We don’t know how long this controversial YouTube video clip will stay online so be forewarned that this might not be here forever. We will write the updates in the comments section of this posting:
Kevin Nadal, a Filipino Performance Artist and Activist based in the United States — after doing his due diligence about the latest “Desperate Housewives” episode that had Teri Hatcher replying to the OB-GYN, “Can I just check those diplomas because I just want to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines?” — started an online petition.
Within a couple of days, ABC.com issued an apology and promised to take off the offending segment off its DVD releases and re-broadcasts. We lost count of the number of e-mails that came into our IN BOXES with opinions galore about how the Filipinos need to rise to the occasion, together with other ethnic communities, and make a solid stand (aside from an apology).
Some people may think that this apology is NOT enough, and if you don’t, I encourage you to take action, in whatever way you feel passionate and/or reasonable.
Some people may think that this apology IS enough, and if you do, then I encourage you to remember this each time you think that your voice cannot be heard.
In about 55 hours, 43,500+ Filipinos and Filipino supporters across the globe took part in this petition (at time of writing this email), which shows that we as a people can come together and advocate for something in which we believe. But maybe now, we need to advocate for bigger and more prominent issues, like poverty in our homeland, oppression of our own people, immigrant rights of Filipinos across the Diaspora, or corruption in the government.
We must not be complacent; we must always advocate for positive change.
What’s been happening since then?
Our NaFFAA national offices in Washington DC had issued a statement and opened communication lines to ABC.
NaFFAA Region 8 (Northern California), like many Fil-Am communities in the US, is meeting with as many community-based organizations (and concerned persons; everyone is welcome!) that can fit into the Philippine Consulate of San Francisco’s 5th Floor Social Hall, 447 Sutter Street on Tuesday, 9 October 2007, at 6:00 p.m. The purpose of the community meeting is “to undertake local mass actions against ABC and the Disney Corporation because of the attack on our community,” according to Rodel Rodis, one of NaFFAA’s founders based in San Francisco.”
Rodis continued: “In San Francisco, we are forming a Philippine Anti-Defamation Coalition of NaFFAA working with members of the Philippine Medical Society, the Philippine Nurses Association, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (California Chapter), and other groups and individuals who were educated in the Philippines and who feel that the ABC episode will have a profound negative on the public perception of them. We are planning on engaging in creative actions that will impress on ABC the gravity of the slight inflicted on our community.”
Rodel Rodis also noted: “Many of the Philippine-trained doctors are conservative Republicans who are not involved with our community because their high income lifestyles insulate them from the concerns of the rest of our community. This issue is bringing them out — and is making activists out of many of them (at last!) — and is making them get a glimpse of the kind of racial profiling that the disadvantaged members of our community suffer on a regular basis. NaFFAA Region 8’s call to action is to encourage these doctors’ involvement NOW!
As of today, 5 October 2007, there is a planned demonstration/picket at 6:00 p.m. at the ABC Studio located at 77 West 66th Street, between Columbus and Central Park West in New York City.
An e-mail announcement was sent out just after midnight today from Rodel Rodis on behalf of NaFFAA Region 8:
Join us for a “Desperate” Community Meeting
“DESPERATE COMMUNITY” MEETING
Tuesday, October 9, 2007 at 6:00 p.m.
Philippine Consulate Social Hall (5th Floor)
447 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA
