News Release
October 3, 2007

Reference: Rico Foz, Executive Vice President, National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), email: nafconusa @ yahoo.com 

APOLOGY NOT ACCEPTED-- NAFCON
NATIONAL FILIPINO-AMERICAN ALLIANCE DEMANDS MORE FROM ABC FOR RACIST SLUR

The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON), a national network of Filipino groups spanning 23 cities, slammed the recent paragraph-sized apology issued by ABC Inc. for a racist slur delivered by actress Teri Hatcher's character Susan on the popular prime time series "Desperate Housewives" as "insufficient and pathetic." A community picket in front of Manhattan's ABC Studios on 77 West 66th Street led by NAFCON is scheduled for this Friday, October 5th at 6pm.

The remark, made by Hatcher's character in a scene with a doctor, was, "Okay, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? Because I would just like to make sure they are not from some med school in the Philippines." A video clip can be accessed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34_qvfh3X7c

"The simplistic nature of ABC's apology only insults our community even more. It is not proportionate to the damage it has caused. It is basically just a one-paragraph response, not just to the 2nd largest immigrant group in the US, or a third world country, but ALL foreign-trained medical practitioners in this country. This country thrives on the quality skills of foreign-trained doctors and nurses, and Filipino nurses are among the cream of the crop. We all deserve a decent, sincere, and proper apology," states NAFCON spokesperson Rico Foz. 

In a single email sent to Philippine Daily Inquirer reporter Nimfa Rueda, the following is the network's 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."

When asked by if ABC would release a lengthier statement, Charissa Gilmore, ABC Studios vice president for media relations, said this is "the only statement planned."

A recent meeting of NAFCON leaders in New York City, joined by the Sentosa 27++ nurses, Filipino healthcare professionals trafficked from Manila to the US to work under false contracts by American employer SentosaCare LLC, proved the gravity of the ongoing disappointment from Filipino healthcare professionals of all ages.

"I not only resent [the Desperate Housewives quote], but I am mad. An apology is not enough; they should acknowledge the role of foreign medical graduates particularly Filipino doctors from the early 1960s. For three decades as doctors, we have been serving America," stated Filipino Long Island cardiologist Dr. Orlando Apiado, an internal medicine doctor who came to the US in 1963, after obtaining his medical degree at the University of the Philippines in 1962.

"After 9/11, the most awarded healthcare providers were Filipinos from the Beekman Downtown Hospital near Wall Street," stated New York anesthesiologist Dr. Benjamin Ileto, a medical graduate of Far Eastern University in Manila and who has been practicing in the US since 1965.

The workplace discrimination case of the Sentosa 27++ nurses, now amidst court trials in Long Island, also found linkage to the network's discriminatory slur, which insinuated the inferior skills of Philippine-trained health workers. 

"This is a clear manifestation that the claims of discrimination and prejudice is alive and present in society," stated Mark Dela Cruz of the Sentosa 27++. "Our current plight against the Sentosa Recruitment Agency is the fruit of prejudiced and biased minds as those connected with ABC Inc. and SentosaCare LLC."

The NAFCON leaders and Sentosa 27 ++ nurses also agreed to more proper terms for an official network apology that included a) at least one broadcasted apology before the show's next episode, b) a thorough investigation of the show's writers and producers to track down the origins of the line and an appropriate disciplinary action, c) cutting the scene from the episode permanently and never airing it again, including in all productions of DVD's and boxed sets of the series. The group also threatened to call for a boycott of the series if an appropriate and timely apology was not issued by the network.

The controversial slur utter during last Sunday's episode has launched an online indignation petition that garnered more than 45,000 signatures in matter of 55 hours, been the topic of dozens of online discussion groups, as well as been the target of condemnation statements from the Philippine Medical Association and other Filipino, medical, and immigrant groups. ###