Subject: Filipinos Denigrated on ABC's Desperate Housewives

Dear Kababayan and Allies:
 
I heard through the grapevine about a remark made on an episode of "Desperate Housewives" last night.  The scene entailed Teri Hatcher's character (Susan) at a hospital, being told by her gynecologist that she might be hitting menopause. Susan replied, "Can I just check those diplomas because I just want to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines." If you go to abc.com, you watch the full episode and witness the scene at about 18:50 minutes into the episode.
 
This type of derogatory remark is not only unnecessary and hurtful, but is also unfounded, considering the presence of Filipinos and Filipino Americans in the health care industry. Filipinos are the second largest immigrant population in the United States, with many entering the U.S. and passing their U.S. licensing boards as doctors, nurses, and medical technicians. In fact, the Philippines produces more U.S. nurses than any other country in the world. So, to belittle the education, experience, or value of Filipino Americans in health care is disrespectful and plain and simply ignorant.
 
As Filipino Americans, we need to band together to ensure that this type of hateful message is not allowed to continue on our television and radio airwaves. Given the recent amounts of media attention that has been given to Michael Richards (against African Americans), Isaiah Washington (against gays), and Rosie O'Donnell (against Asian/ Chinese Americans), it is ridiculous that this type of hateful speech made it through various screenwriters, the show's producers, the show's actors, and ABC itself. Yet, this isn't the first time that negative remarks have been made about the Philippines or Filipinos in the past.  In recent years, we've heard one too many "dogeater" comments by "comedian" Joan Rivers on the red carpet or in her standup act, and I believe that it is about time that we stand up for ourselves, so that this type of hateful speech never happens again.
 
Please join me in expressing your concern, disappointment, and/or disgust to the producers of ABC.com. You can sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/FilABC/ or you can reach them directlyabc7@abc.com.
 
 And please feel free to forward this widely to other Filipinos/Filipino Americans/ Asian Americans/ and other allies.
email address: knadal@gmail.com

A Letter Sent To ABC Studios:    

To The CEO, TV Channel ABC7- USA:

     This is to call your attention to a derogatory and inflammatory statement attributed to actress Teri Hatcher, who was quoted as having said (as a part of her script on Desperate Housewives),  "Can I just  check those diplomas because I just want to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines."

     The scene showed Teri Hatcher's character (Susan) at a hospital, being told by her gynecologist 
that she might be hitting menopause. The statement highlighted above was what she said after hearing what her gynecologist told her.

     There are more than 2000 Filipino-American physicians in the United States, who are caring for the Americans and other people in this country. Before  they are licensed to practice in whichever State they may be, they had to pass a competency exam, a medical board exam, go thru internship and residency training in the USA, some of them, for a total of seven to 8 years. Then they take two more medical exams for their specialty and subspecialty. So, they take more exams than American graduates do, before they are licensed in the United States.

     There are hundreds of Filipino-Americans who are in the academe, or in training hospitals, teaching and training young American medical gradutes. The statistics show that, proportionately, there are more Filipino-American physicians who are specialists and subspecialists, compared to American graduates.

     The anesthesiologist of President Reagan when he was operated on for gunshot wound was a Filipino, a graduate of the Far Eastern University School of Medicine in Manila, Philippines.

     And all you have to ask is Mrs. Nancy Reagan and those millions of American patients of Filipino-American physicians in the United States to find out about their competence and performance. You might even be surprised that majority of them would rather be under the compassionate care of Filipino-American physicians.

     While we know that Teri Hatcher only read what was on her script, she should have known better. We deplore the insulting and denegrading implication of the statement in question as written by the insensitive and evidently racist screen written.

     We are asking for a public apology from ABC7, the screen writer, who penned that statement, and from Teri Hatcher. This is the least they owe the Filipino-American physicians they have maligned and insulted.

     Will we advocate a law-suit and/or a boycott of ABC and Teri Hatcher? Of course not. How can we ask you not to hurt us, and then try to hurt you?  We are, after all, citizens of this shrinking world and fellow human beings on this planet.  So, we would rather not try to hurt you.

     But my fellow Filipino-Americans will look forward to that public apology for closure. The ball is in your court.

Best wishes and God bless.

Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS
Chairman
Cardiovascular Surgery
Cebu Doctors' University

Mr. Mark Pedowitz
President
ABC Television Network
500 S. Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4551
Fax No. (818)-460-5636

Sir:

      In the September 30, 2007, episode of "Desperate Housewives," the character, Susan Mayer Delfino. played by actress Teri Hatcher, said: "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."  

      This is an affront to all Filipino professionals in the medical field.   Hundreds of thousands of Filipino health care professionals are in countries all over the world.  In the United States alone, there are tens of thousands of licensed Philippine-trained doctors and a larger number of nurses. The quality of their professional training is manifested by the high demand for their services in some of the best hospitals in the United States. 

      For Filipino physicians and nurses to be able to work in the United States they have to possess diplomas from U.S.-accredited universities in the Philippines, one of which is the University of Santo Tomas which was founded in 1611 -- older than the oldest university in the U.S.  In addition to having diplomas, they are required to pass stringent licensing examinations -- including English proficiency tests -- by the United States government.  In most cases Filipinos doctors and nurses have to take residency in U.S. hospitals as a requisite to professional licensing.  In other words, Philippine-trained doctors and nurses are at par -- if not above par -- with their American-trained counterparts.

       The Philippines is considered a top Medical Tourism destination favored by many foreigners including Americans.  They choose the Philippines because of the high quality and reasonably-priced medical services.  

       The recent derogatory episode has created a negative impression and racial stereotyping of Filipino doctors.  We deplore such generalization because it would only inflame further discrimination against Filipinos in the medical professions.  Therefore, we are protesting the airing of the recent episode and future episodes which would only undermine the racial harmony that Americans of all colors have longed for.  As one of the major networks, ABC Television Network has a big responsibility in amalgamating the American people -- natural-born and foreign-born alike -- into a harmonious society of diverse races and cultures.  It is therefore imperative that you take the leadership in bringing the American people together and not inflame racial animosity and hatred.

      While we deplore the airing of this sad episode, we are also hoping that you would take all necessary actions to avoid racially derogatory episodes in all your series and programs in the future.  In all fairness, we ask that you issue a public apology as a sincere effort on your part to rectify a wrong. 

With all the best,
Perry Diaz
Editor, BALITA-USA

A copy of the letter as written above by Perry Diaz of Balita USA was forwarded to the American Medical Association:

An open letter to the AMA:

Enclosed is a letter which is self-explanatory - addressing and protesting in no uncertain terms the demeaning remarks towards physicians who graduated from Philippine medical schools - as witnessed in a recent episode of ABC's "Desperate Housewives".  This is just one of many such letters vehemently protesting this slur on the image of Philippine medical graduates - which for your edification includes not only Filipinos but also many individuals from many countries who have elected to pursue their medical studies in many great institutions of learning in the Philippines. 

From the AMA files as well as from the American Board of Specialties, you should be the first one to acknowledge the many Philippine medical graduates who have provided their talent and intellectual marks throughout the American health system - from Academia to public health care.  Thousands of the very same individuals denigrated in the aforementioned TV program have been and are still teaching in many American medical schools and mentoring many American medical graduates in many of our most prestigious American hospitals. 

To my extreme disappointment and that of many of my colleagues, I do not see where AMA has voiced any concern nor protest about this insensitive, insulting, callous and grossly ignorant statement against many of your members.  Is this another evidence of your indifference to many sensitive issues that affect physicians nowadays?  Or is this just another manifestation of your inability to stay connected to many current and pressing issues that affect all of us?  And you want more physicians to join your ranks?

I hope that you will take these comments in a very constructive manner.  Otherwise, you are just perpetuating the image of AMA as a white elephant.

Danilo Deano, MD, FACC
Chief, Section of Cardiology and
President, Medical Staff
Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center
Chicago, Illinois 60622

To everyone concerned:

     Many of us were shocked and appalled by the blatant racial discrimination demonstrated by Teri Hatcher, an actress in the popular television drama, Desperate Housewives, in the Sunday, September 30th episode. In this episode the actress refers, in a derogatory manner, to a physician’s credentials who may have been trained “by one of those foreign medical schools in the Philippines”.  
We are all well aware, the medical education offered by schools in the Philippines is equal to or superior to that of any other school in the world.  For those of us who have adopted the United States as our home, we cannot stand idly by and allow such racist remarks go unaddressed.

     Please join me in voicing our displeasure and disapproval of this injustice directly to the ABC Network executives. Go to our USTMAAA website  to obtain ways to send letters to executives of ABC and Walt Disney Company, its parent company. To strengthen our cause, you can also submit your signature in a petition we are lodging against the network.

     A Discussion Forum is also available in the USTMAAA website where you can continue to share your views on this issue for everyone to read. Log in with your user ID to be directed to the Member section of the website.

     Humor and mockery at the expense of others is not appropriate. We will not tolerate such, even if legal action is needed. On behalf of our association, I sent a formal complaint to get ABC to address our deep concern. I will keep you informed of ongoing communication.
Please forward this letter to our fellow Philippine M.D. graduates.

Regards to all,

F.C. Dante Gapultos, Jr., M.D., F.A.C.O.G.
President, USTMAAA

USTMAAA Executive Office: 7071 Orchard Lake, Suite 333, West Bloomfield, MI 48322