HK magazine regrets columnist’s racial slur

By Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 18:29:00 03/30/2009

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 2) Publishers and editors of a Hong Kong magazine apologized on Monday for an article that labeled the Philippines "a nation of servants" and which said that the Philippines could not afford to pursue its claim to the disputed Spratly Islands.

The apology was issued by Asia City Publishing Group (ACPG), publisher of the HK Magazine's print and online editions, which carried on March 27, an article by Chip Tsao titled "The War at Home" which has been scored by Filipino groups in Hong Kong, the Philippines and other parts of the world.

"The publisher and editors of HK Magazine wish to apologize unreservedly for any offense that may have been caused by Chip Tsao's column date March 27. HK Magazine has long championed the rights of Filipinos working in Hong Kong. We note that Filipinos have often been unfairly treated in Hong Kong, and that they make an important contribution to this community," ACPG said.

"As a magazine, we would never want to say anything that would negate that belief," it added.

Copies of the apology were distributed by the Department of Foreign Affairs. A copy was also posted in the agency's website (www.dfa.gov.ph).

The Philippine consulate general in Hong Kong joined politicians and migrant and labor groups in demanding for a public apology from Tsao and the publishers.

ACPG, however, noted that the Tsao's column was satirical and the comments it expressed were not intentional.

"One aspect of a satire is that it can at times be read in different ways. In this particular case, many people have read meanings into this column that were never actually intended," the publishing company said.

"We wish to assure our readers that we have nothing but respect for Filipinos, both living in Hong Kong and abroad," it added.

The Philippine Consul General said Tsao’s article was a huge miscalculation.

"While Mr. Tsao may have intended his column to be a piece of satire, he has miserably miscalculated in this endeavor," said Philippine deputy consul general Kira Dangan, in a statement issued by the DFA in Manila.

She demanded for an apology for the "grave disrespect" they have shown to the Filipinos in Hong Kong.

"Fortunately, their views are not shared by the larger society in Hong Kong," she added.

According to her, it was "unfortunate" that such an article "could be published in a city that prides itself as a progressive society, that has achieved milestones in multicultural harmony, and whose very character is defined by the presence of people from all corners of the globe."

Dangan noted that Filipinos contributions to Hong Kong’s achievements were "undeniable," adding, "Their work is a noble and dignified one."

Despite the incident, Dangan said that the "long-standing friendship and mutual respect" being enjoyed by the Filipino community and the Hong Kong society would remain.

The Hong Kong magazine made the apology as Tsao’s article received an avalanche of condemnation from Filipino groups.

Migrante-Hong Kong and its Manila-based central organization, Migrante International, denounced Tsao’s "insulting wit" and called on the Philippine government to declare him "persona non grata."

"For the mockery and ridicule we are subjected to and for the license given to treat domestic workers harshly, we demand no less than a public apology from Mr. Tsao," Migrante-HK chair Dolores Balladares said in a statement emailed to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

She said the group hoped Tsao would be "civilized and humble enough to admit that his column was way out of line."

"Such contemptuous regard for migrant workers is unconscionable," she added.

In Manila, Migrante-International secretary-general Gina Esguerra called the column "the most racist, insulting and demeaning attack yet against Filipino domestic helpers."

“The article smacks of unqualified racial bias that vilifies the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos in Hong Kong and puts them in danger of persecution and harm. We demand no less than a public apology from Mr. Tsao and from the Hong Kong Magazine for allowing this bigoted garbage to appear on its pages,” she said.

Esguerra said Tsao’s diatribes were “a cause for alarm for overseas Filipinos and their families, especially in this time of intensifying global financial crisis where bigotry and racial intolerance are customarily whipped up by host governments in a desperate attempt to evade responsibility on the crisis and to use the army of migrant workers as their convenient scapegoats.”

Before the issuance of a public apology by the Hong Kong magazine, DFA acting spokesman Ed Malaya criticized Tsao for his "condescending attitude" towards Filipino domestics and added that the article was made "not in the best light" and was "uncalled for."

Malaya said that while Tsao, a best selling author and former British Broadcasting Co. reporter, was merely expressing an opinion, the consulate was taking "appropriate action" upon consultation with the Filipino community in the Chinese special administrative region.

Tsao's article has been pulled out of the HK Online website. As of 4 p.m., the Inquirer checked the March 27 article entitled “The War At Home” by columnist Chip Tsao and found its URL or Web address (http://hk-magazine.com/feature/war-home) no longer active, with the reader directed to the main Features page. No explanation was provided by the publisher.

A check made on the site around 2 p.m. showed that the article generated at least four pages of comments from readers, mostly denouncing Tsao for being racist and insulting to Filipino domestics, with a few defending him and saying that the article was a satire and should be taken tongue-in-cheek.

Balladares said Filipino domestics in Hong Kong were hurt by the article for using them in the discussion of the Spratlys issue.

She said Tsao’s article not only failed to shed "intelligent light" on the Spratlys issue, but became "a cheap shot, distasteful and demeaning of domestic workers who are already under extreme working and living conditions here."

"In his failed attempt to be witty, Mr. Tsao regrettably trivialized the very serious domestic workers’ situation in Hong Kong society. Such an article to appear publicly is very dangerous for it projects that it can be socially-permissible to treat domestic workers as no more than slaves ready to be lectured, ordered around, easily threatened with termination, and made to jump at every whim of employers," she added.

Balladares said the article could not be labeled as a satire, explaining: "Political satire as a journalistic device is used to challenge or even make fun of authorities and the status quo. Mr. Tsao did not do so in his latest column. Instead, he further beats up the already low and downtrodden."

"Behind such lines that Mr. Tsao may likely but wrongly justify as satire, there lies the precarious reinforcement of the master-slave treatment of domestic workers. Mr. Tsao makes it appear that it is alright to denigrate us and take potshots at us," she added.

Tsao wrote that the Philippines, as "a nation of servants" should not "flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter," referring to the more than 130,000 Filipino domestics earning HK$3,850 monthly in the territory.

He wrote that he summoned Louisa, his domestic assistant who holds a degree in international politics from the University of Manila, and gave her "a harsh lecture."

He said he warned her that if she wanted her wages to increase, she would better tell other domestics that the Spratlys belonged to China and that if war broke out over it, he would have to terminate her "because I would not risk the crime of treason for sponsoring an enemy of the state by paying her to wash my toilet and clean my windows 16 hours a day."

He said that the taxes of Louisa's wage could go to the Philippine government, which might use it to fund a navy to invade Chinese territory.
With an earlier report Erwin Oliva from INQUIRER.net