US firm pulls out training video scene negatively depicting Pinoys

A California-based firm has pulled out a scene from its training video that could potentially portray Filipino health care workers in a negative light after the Filipino community complained about it.

CRM Learning of Carlsbad, California, also said it will withdraw the training video from the market, the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. said Tuesday.

"The CRM Learning video, entitled 'It’s a Dog’s World,' showed two Filipina healthcare employees gossiping in Tagalog in front of an American patient," the embassy said in a statement.

It said a Filipina nurse was offended after seeing the video at a hospital training workshop, and reported it to Filipino community leader Victoria Navarro.

Navarro in turn brought up the matter with Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr.

The embassy, together with the Philippine Nurses Association of America (PNAA) and the Migrant Heritage Commission (MHC), told the company the video violated cultural sensitivities.

Cuisia welcomed CRM Learning's decision to delete the scene and withdraw the video from the market.

“While we understand that it was intended as a parody, we felt that it was unfair to single out and depict Filipinos as insensitive and disrespectful employees who do not care at all about good customer service,” said Navarro, co-director of the Philippine Humanitarian Coalition and past president of PNAA.

MHC Executive Director and PNAA Foundation lawyer Arnedo Valera said the video offended Filipinos and violated guidelines on the “English Only Rule” in the workplace.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission had struck down the "English Only Rule" as language discrimination and violative of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Valera said this advocacy and ensuing collaborative efforts "make this process a good model to follow promoting respect and celebration of diversity, the hallmark of America.”

CRM letter

The embassy cited a letter from CRM Learning President Peter Jordan to Cuisia, Navarro and Valera, saying his firm is committed to the principles of diversity.

Jordan said the company did not intend to create a scenario that disrespects or stereotypes Filipino employees.

Also, he said health care training professionals reviewed and critiqued the training video before it was released.

Jordan said copies of the original version of the video will be withdrawn from their inventory, once the revised version of the video is completed.

He also said CRM will notify all previous buyers of the video that they may exchange their copies of the original version with the revised version for free. —Joel Locsin/KBK, GMA News

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