The latest on the Desperate Housewives vs. Filipinos controversy... To get you up to speed, basically, on the September 30 episode of the hit ABC show, one of the characters questioned a doctor's credibility, saying "Can I check those diplomas? Because I would like to make sure that they're not from some med school in the Philippines." This sparked all sorts of outrage and madness on the internet and abroad, calling for apologies and boycotts and petitions. The network did apologize. But community members wanted more.
So here's an email I got forwarded to me, a letter from Perry Diaz on a recent conversation between Jon Melegrito, Communications Director of the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), and Robert Mendez, ABC's Senior Vice President of Diversity. They've basically agreed to explore a program that mgiht help increase opportunities for Filipinos at ABC:
Breaking News: ABC Agrees to Open Doors to FilipinosThis is encouraging, though at the moment it's all talk. But it's good to see something different and more proactive from the usual cycle of offensive remark... apology... then nothing. Oh yeah, the image above was created by Elson T., who apparently couldn't resist bustin' out the Photoshop (and has a lot of time on his hands). If you couldn't tell, that's Teri Hatcher getting socked by Manny Pacquiao, pride of the Philippines. Don't mess.
In a letter to Jon Melegrito, Communications Director of NaFFAA, the ABC Senior Vice President of Diversity, Mr. Robert Mendez, agreed to explore a program that might help increase opportunities for Filipinos at ABC. This was in response to my PerryScope article, "Desperate Housewives' Wake Up Call to Filipinos," which Mr. Melegrito forwarded to Mr. Mendez.
In my PerryScope article I proposed a win-win solution to the imbroglio created by the September 30, 2007, episode of "Desperate Housewives" in which a character said, " Okay, before we go any further, can I check those diplomas? Because I would just like to make sure they are not from a med school in the Philippines." Instead of a lawsuit and boycott which have been suggested by many community leaders, I recommended that we should instead be proactive -- not reactive -- and put together an agenda that would give long-term benefits to our community such as jobs, education and other initiatives. I indicated that we should convince ABC to open employment opportunities to Filipino-Americans at all levels -- actors, directors, producers, newscasters, and executives at ABC and its affiliates.
Mr. Mendez's letter said, "You asked about the possibility of exploring a program that might help to increase opportunities for Filipinos at ABC. I am wondering whether you might be interested in helping to organize a meeting in Washington, DC, where my staff and I can meet with Filipinos who are interested in pursuing careers in television and want access to direct information about our many talent development programs. It would be a wonderful opportunity for ABC to deepen the talent pool with candidates from the Filipino community." The complete text of Mr. Mendez's letter can be downloaded below.
Mr. Melegrito sent me an email and said, "ABC listened to the points you raised in your column and here are the results: a) written confirmation that ABC has deleted the ugly scene from the DH Sept. 30 episode, b) a long-term relationship with the FilAm community that will open doors to Filipino Americans and enable them access to positions in ABC as writers, directors, producers, including an internship & training program. We expect implementation of this special outreach program within 3-4 months as a demonstration of ABC's commitment."
The name of the game is "win-win" and that's what have been achieved. Both the Filipino community and ABC would benefit from it. It would give Filipinos a presence in one of the major networks in the United States. And the benefits would be long-lasting and irreversible because once Filipino talents are used in ABC programming the other networks would follow.
All the best,
Perry Diaz
Editor, BALITA USA
