Hongkong’s Chip Tsao & his cheap racial slur against Filipinos

Tsao in part wrote in his HK magazine column:

“Manila has just claimed sovereignty over the scattered rocks in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, complete with a blatant threat from its congress to send gunboats to the South China Sea to defend the islands from China if necessary. This is beyond reproach. The reason: there are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working as $3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don’t flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.”

“As a patriotic Chinese man, the news has made my blood boil. I summoned Louisa, my domestic assistant who holds a degree in international politics from the University of Manila, hung a map on the wall, and gave her a harsh lecture. I sternly warned her that if she wants her wages increased next year, she had better tell every one of her compatriots in Statue Square on Sunday that the entirety of the Spratly Islands belongs to China.”—Chip Tsao

Reactions of Filipinos

“The most racist, insulting and demeaning attack yet against Filipino domestic helpers.”—Migrante International Sec. Gen. Gina Esguerra

“His very announcement that he gave her Filipino maid a harsh lecture and warned her to tell every one of her compatriots that Spartly Islands belong to China or she’d lose her wages, is already a sign of an unstable, irresponsible and racist employer who resorts to verbal abuse even for perceived bilateral and historic infractions. Luisa deserves a sane and more humane employer while he deserves to clean up his own filth.” —–Susan Ople, Blas F. Ople Policy Center.

“According to the meeting of leaders of the Filipino community, they are now preparing street protests]… The sentiment of our countrymen here is that the one who wrote the article, Chip Tsao, should apologize.” —-Romulo Salud, labor attache of the Philippine consulate general in Hong Kong

“We will look into that because we should not be provoked by one columnist. What that writer did was reprehensible. Let’s see what needs to be done. Press Sec. Cerge Remonde:

“If Filipinos stop going to Hong Kong, their economy would collapse. I propose a six-month, nay a one-year boycott of Hong Kong and let’s see what happens to their shops and hotels. We can do without going to HK and HK products.” —- Parañaque City Rep. Roilo Golez Golez.

“I don’t think we should dignify his (Tsao) statement as he is just one person and not a government or Hong Kong official but it is understandable that we are offended,” —–Pres. Spokesman Lorelei Fajardo

“That comment is uncalled for, it’s atrocious. We should protest vigorously against this slur against Filipino workers in Hong Kong,” —-Cebu City Rep. Antonio Cuenco

“I am not asking the DFA file a diplomatic protest. But our government must address this squarely and defend the dignity of Filipinos, If we need to take legal action against Tsao, let us do so. Our government should be in the frontline on this; they can hire a lawyer in Hong Kong if at all and file a case for damages.” —Sen Francis Escudero

“This disgusting, derogatory, and vile remark can only come from dim-witted and mediocre writing. The magazine should apologize straightaway. The article reflects the kind of attitude that promotes abuses against Filipina workers,” —-Rep. Ana Theresia Hontiveros

“Filipinos deserve no less than a formal public apology.“—Sen. Pia Cayetano

“It’s the view of one person and we don’t think it is shared by the Hong Kong community and society… I think we ought to take it as that.” —-DFA spokesperson Ed Malaya

“Because of the administration’s failed employment policies, a record number of Filipino women have been forced to seek jobs abroad to make ends meet.”— Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay

“For the protection of migrant workers, the POEA should look into the said allegations, not only confined to forms of physical abuse but also emotional abuse such as public humiliation and verbal harassment.”— Sen. Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri (Photo Credit: Mattviews) ==0=

RELATED BLOG: “A “nation of servants” insults Filipinos in Hongkong” Posted by mesiamd at 3/30/2009

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A “nation of servants” insults Filipinos in Hongkong

The Philippines has been a recent target of a snide remark from a pea-brained Hongkong journalist who described the country as a “nation of servants.”

In a magazine write-up entitled on March 27, 2009, “The War at Home” Chip Tsao mockingly wrote that he told his Filipino maid she’d lose her job if she won’t tell her countrymen that Spratly’s islands for which the Philippines has long-standing ownership claim, belongs to China.

Tsao allegedly asserted that the Philippines’ claim on Spratlys was “reproachable,” adding that “as a nation of servants, you don’t flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.’”—-GMA TV News. (03/27/09)

This is again an insult that parallels the “Desperate Housewife” episode when Fil-Am doctors where maligned as incompetents in a US soap-opera. Some years ago, there is also that dictionary that equated “Filipino” as a synonymous to maids. The disparaging comment of Tsao is certainly foul—another insensitive verbal abuse that could only come from a loose cannon.

Susan Ople, a former labor undersecretary said the Chinese columnist must be declared “undersirable foreign employer” for his racist and arrogant remark. Such can be a weak retaliation to a blistering insult. She also needs to stress that the country must find ways to make jobs available at home and curb the sending of Filipinos abroad. In the long term, the deployment of maids to foreign countries is exploitative, unsustainable, and bad for national pride. (Photo Credit: MattViews x 2) =0=

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A “nation of servants” insults Filipinos in Hongkong

The Philippines has been a recent target of a snide remark from a pea-brained Hongkong journalist who described the country as a “nation of servants.”

In a magazine write-up entitled on March 27, 2009, “The War at Home” Chip Tsao mockingly wrote that he told his Filipino maid she’d lose her job if she won’t tell her countrymen that Spratly’s islands for which the Philippines has long-standing ownership claim, belongs to China.

Tsao allegedly asserted that the Philippines’ claim on Spratlys was “reproachable,” adding that “as a nation of servants, you don’t flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.’”—-GMA TV News. (03/27/09)

This is again an insult that parallels the “Desperate Housewife” episode when Fil-Am doctors where maligned as incompetents in a US soap-opera. Some years ago, there is also that dictionary that equated “Filipino” as a synonymous to maids. The disparaging comment of Tsao is certainly foul—another insensitive verbal abuse that could only come from a loose cannon.

Susan Ople, a former labor undersecretary said the Chinese columnist must be declared “undersirable foreign employer” for his racist and arrogant remark. Such can be a weak retaliation to a blistering insult. She also needs to stress that the country must find ways to make jobs available at home and curb the sending of Filipinos abroad. In the long term, the deployment of maids to foreign countries is exploitative, unsustainable, and bad for national pride. (Photo Credit: MattViews x 2) =0=

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