Case closed: ABC apologizes for sit-com`s racist slur against Filipino medical professionals

It`s either the scriptwriter was racist or he just lacked prudence.

I`m referring to the infuriating dialogue in Desperate Housewives` pilot episode which used Philippine medical education in its lame punchline. In the scene, actress Teri Tatcher`s character, Susan, was having her medical check-up with a gynecologist.

"Listen, Susan, I know for a lot of women the word `menopause’" has negative connotations. You hear `aging,’ `brittle bones,’ `loss of sexual desire,’" the gynecologist told her.

"OK, before we go any further, can I check these diplomas? Just to make sure they aren’t, like, from some med school in the Philippines?" Susan fired back.

The one-liner drew angry calls from almost 30,000 viewers, an online demand for apology led by New York-based Filipino-American college lecturer Kevin Nadal and protests from Philippine Health and Chief Cabinet secretaries Francisco Duque and Eduardo Ermita.

In Manila, pandemonium broke out. Senator Rodolfo Biazon called for the sit-com`s ban in Philippine cable TV. All news networks suddenly became interested in the show while YouTube was filled with the scene`s video clip.

Some, however, just shrugged the line off.

Wake T-Rex said the line was taken out of context. I don`t think so. I had the line re-wound ten times and I was sure that the character was potraying medical education in the Philippines in a bad light. Wake T-Rex further said that the sit-com`s home network, ABC, loves the Filipinos. I am not sure. But even if ABC indeed loves the Filipinos, it doesn`t change the fact that one of its programs did something wrong.

PinoySpy, meanwhile, said that the reference was not meant against Philippine medical education but against fake diplomas being rampant in the Philippines. Well, first of all Susan did not refer to the diploma`s authenticity. Secondly, almost no one in the States is aware that there are fake diplomas in the Philippines.

Some on-line Pinoy traitors, on the other hand, said that there`s nothing wrong with the joke since, according to them, Philippine medical community is indeed incompetent. How I wish I could see these idiots shot by firing squat at the Rizal Park.

Their impression of the Philippine medical community being incompetent is simply absurd. The Philippines` medical professionals are manning the hospitals of the United Kingdom and the United States. Their presence there has been felt for almost a decade now, and we are yet to hear any negative feedback from their patients. In fact, they continue to be in demand. Even Japan, a country that distrusts foreigners, is looking forward to accepting Philippine medical professionals in the next couple of years. Further, the Philippines remains the leading country in terms of medical tourism.  Tens of thousands of patients travel to Manila every year to seek treatment from our pool of medical professionals and our first-world medical facilities.

These facts were certainly overlooked by Desperate Housewives` scriptwriter. Well, what can we expect? Filipinos (and other Asians and minority groups, for that matter) are often judged by some people not by their actions but by the color of their skins. Susan`s punchline had no basis but pure racism.

The incident was infuriating, repugnant and kadiri to death!

But it`s all over.

ABC, knowing what prudence means, responded with a statement of apology and an indication that they might have the line edited from the episode. Here`s an excerpt of their statement:

The producers of `Desperate Housewives’ and ABC Studios offer our sincere apologies for any offense caused by the brief reference in the season premiere. There was no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines

As leaders in broadcast diversity, we are committed to presenting sensitive and respectful images of all communities featured in our programs.

Now, this statement brings the incident to a close. The scene wasn`t taken out of context. The Philippine medical community is not incompetent. The sit-com made a terrible mistake and the network aknowledged it. Good enough.

Did I hear somebody call for a boycott? Duh, as if the sit-com was meant for Philippine audience. ABC has apologized. People should move on. Let`s parade Mike Arroyo`s head in the town plaza instead.