Palace eyes protest over HK paper’s ‘superbug’ story
MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang is not discounting lodging a protest with Hong Kong over a newspaper’s story claiming Filipinos there may be carriers of an infectious disease.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the Philippine government is now studying if there is a basis to file a protest over the newspaper article in Hong Kong’s “The Standard" newspaper.
“Eh, I think we should take offense over that ... I think ang bugs na ‘yan, dapat tingnan if there is a reason for us to protest (I think the story about super bugs, we should study it to see if there is a reason to protest)," Remonde said on government-run dzRB radio.
He also took a dig at Hong Kong, whose authorities he said are working to fight off the threat of bird flu. The Philippines prides itself in being among the few areas free of bird flu.
“But let us not overreact at this point," he said.
Last Wednesday, a Hong Kong-based rights group took the cudgels for Filipinos based in Hong Kong after the newspaper article indicated the Filipinos may be carriers of an infectious disease.
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wrote “The Standard" newspaper and asked it to correct the article that came out on its Feb. 25 issue.
“As you may have already known, majority of Filipinos in Hong Kong are domestic workers; thus, the possible negative implications on this report in terms of employment opportunities and of their social life, are real," AHRC program assistant Danilo Reyes said in his letter dated March 2 to editor-in-chief Ivan Tong.
Reyes also told Tong that the figures being cited by his paper was different from that of Hong Kong’s government.
He said a consultation he had with some Filipino domestic workers last Sunday showed the report initially had a negative impact upon the workers and their employers.
“One of the workers was even frightened even to have your paper, where the report was published, shown to her employer to read; while the other employers’ immediate reaction were somewhat needlessly discriminatory of them," he said.
Reyes reminded Tong of the paper’s responsibility to “take necessary action to protect Filipinos from losing their employment or being needlessly discriminated against by making appropriate corrections as it is required."
He said the letter stemmed from requests from his fellow Filipinos who themselves are too frightened to avoid being exposed.
Reyes referred to the paper’s report indicating Filipinos are reportedly more liable to contract community-based infectious diseases (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus or MRSA) or to be carriers of this disease themselves.
In his letter, he said he wrote the Hong Kong Center for Health Protection when the newspaper report came out.
Reyes said Dr. Andrew Lau, who writes for the Controller of the Center for Health Protection (CHP), replied Feb. 27 and said The Standard article “does not represent the views of the CHP."
“Dr. Lau also said of the 274 cases reported in 2008, infections on Filipinos were about 14 percent, contrary to that 21 percent that your paper has reported. He also added that ‘further studies are needed to explain the observation that some ethnic groups were found to be over-represented in the notified cases,’“ Reyes said.
He also asked the paper to provide the rational explanations on what basis were the report made.
“Thus, it is also the duty of your paper to either explain clearly, or to make correction should there be inaccuracies committed in the reporting," he added. - GMANews.TV
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said the Philippine government is now studying if there is a basis to file a protest over the newspaper article in Hong Kong’s “The Standard" newspaper.
“Eh, I think we should take offense over that ... I think ang bugs na ‘yan, dapat tingnan if there is a reason for us to protest (I think the story about super bugs, we should study it to see if there is a reason to protest)," Remonde said on government-run dzRB radio.
He also took a dig at Hong Kong, whose authorities he said are working to fight off the threat of bird flu. The Philippines prides itself in being among the few areas free of bird flu.
“But let us not overreact at this point," he said.
Last Wednesday, a Hong Kong-based rights group took the cudgels for Filipinos based in Hong Kong after the newspaper article indicated the Filipinos may be carriers of an infectious disease.
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wrote “The Standard" newspaper and asked it to correct the article that came out on its Feb. 25 issue.
“As you may have already known, majority of Filipinos in Hong Kong are domestic workers; thus, the possible negative implications on this report in terms of employment opportunities and of their social life, are real," AHRC program assistant Danilo Reyes said in his letter dated March 2 to editor-in-chief Ivan Tong.
Reyes also told Tong that the figures being cited by his paper was different from that of Hong Kong’s government.
He said a consultation he had with some Filipino domestic workers last Sunday showed the report initially had a negative impact upon the workers and their employers.
“One of the workers was even frightened even to have your paper, where the report was published, shown to her employer to read; while the other employers’ immediate reaction were somewhat needlessly discriminatory of them," he said.
Reyes reminded Tong of the paper’s responsibility to “take necessary action to protect Filipinos from losing their employment or being needlessly discriminated against by making appropriate corrections as it is required."
He said the letter stemmed from requests from his fellow Filipinos who themselves are too frightened to avoid being exposed.
Reyes referred to the paper’s report indicating Filipinos are reportedly more liable to contract community-based infectious diseases (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus or MRSA) or to be carriers of this disease themselves.
In his letter, he said he wrote the Hong Kong Center for Health Protection when the newspaper report came out.
Reyes said Dr. Andrew Lau, who writes for the Controller of the Center for Health Protection (CHP), replied Feb. 27 and said The Standard article “does not represent the views of the CHP."
“Dr. Lau also said of the 274 cases reported in 2008, infections on Filipinos were about 14 percent, contrary to that 21 percent that your paper has reported. He also added that ‘further studies are needed to explain the observation that some ethnic groups were found to be over-represented in the notified cases,’“ Reyes said.
He also asked the paper to provide the rational explanations on what basis were the report made.
“Thus, it is also the duty of your paper to either explain clearly, or to make correction should there be inaccuracies committed in the reporting," he added. - GMANews.TV
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