RP protests racial slur against Philippine health professionals

RP protests racial slur against Philippine health professionals on US TV

The Philippines government has expressed its displeasure over an episode in a highly-rated American television series wherein Philippine nurses were apparently despised.

In the TV series, "Desperate Housewives," the character of Susan Mayer Delfino was monitored by US-based Filipino health professionals as mouthing off what is perceived as a racial slur.

"Okay, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? Because I would just like to make sure that they're not from some med schools in the Philippines," said he character, played by actress Teri Hatcher.

The well-known TV series also airs in the Philippines, although it cannot be confirmed if the questioned episode has already played in the Philippines.

According to Assistant Secretary Claro Cristobal of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the protest was made through Philippine consul-general Mary Jo Aragon in Los Angeles.

The DFA did not indicate when the specific show was aired and who had called the consulate's attention to the matter. It also did not indicate the context of the storyline.

"Consul General Aragon protested that the remark only served to create racial stereotypes, tainting unnecessarily the excellent record of Philippine-trained health care professionals all over the world."

Aragon asked the TV network ABC to rectify the injustice, Cristobal said.

Cristobal did not indicate when and how the rectification was sought and if the TV stations has responded.

Philippine medical professionals are highly regarded everywhere, including in the United States, which recognized the academic standards of Philippine medical in nursing schools, the DFA noted.Only this week, a Filipino nurse was voted "Outstanding Nurse Leader" in the United States by a US-based group of medical professionals.

"Many foreigners including Americans chose to undergo surgical and other medical procedures in the Philippines in recognition of the high quality and reasonable price of medical services here," Cristobal said.

Last year, Philippine nurses suffered a setback when it was discovered that anomalies occurred in licensure exams for nurses.

But this dark spot was soon cleared when the Philippines was eventually allowed to open a testing center for US-bound nurses.

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