I wouldn’t have known this issue if it wasn’t for the bonus question that was on my last exam; asking to write an essay regarding the line dropped by Teri Hatcher on the recent episode of a popular TV Soap Desperate Housewives, a joke about the Philippine med schools, a slur to the Filipino race.
The line goes like this “Okay. Before going further, can I check these diplomas cause I would just like to make sure that they’re not from some med school in the Philippines?” This episode was aired last September 30, 2007.
That punchline was supposed to be a joke, but a lot of Filipinos (of course) find it racist and discriminating. There was even an online petition of Filipino Americans demanding for a public apology from the network and the soap.
I am a Filipino, but disgracing as it seems, I do find it funny knowing that a lot of people here in our country can just go somewhere underground to have their educational background fixed, have their fake diplomas made and poof! Instantly they become a "graduate" of a prestigious university without even spending too much. And yes, how can I forget that June 2006 Nursing Local Board Exam leakage? That was really controversial, and it was an issue and has been known to Nursing Associations globally. It in fact, ruined the credibility of our nurses-to-be.
Could these be just some of the reasons that might have spurred why the writer came up with such script?
Racist, yes. Discriminating, yes. But it only speaks of reality, right? The truth hurts. It is definitely an insult to the Filipino race, but on the brighter side that episode on Desperate Housewives has opened our eyes. I know a lot of issues have spurted out about things like these, but we never learn. Instead of charging to arms about the this issue on racism, why don’t we just focus on the things that ignited the issue? The rampant cheating in our country, and the deteriorating quality of education our schools are giving, just to name some.
I am pretty sure that a lot of Filipinos are good enough, or yet even better than some medical practitioners in the US. A lot of Filipinos are known for their tender-loving-care, a lot have already proven themselves skilled, capable and knowledgeable. The line Teri Hatcher uttered is even invalid, because diplomas alone don’t make someone a doctor. Filipino doctors who migrated to US that took and passed the same USMLE (United States Medical Licensing Exams) that US Doctors take prove that medical school in the Philippines are just as competent as any other medical school in any country or the United States. So, what’s with the fuss? We don’t need to fire up. We just have to prove them, they are wrong.
As the famous cliché goes “Bato-bato sa langit ang tamaan,wag magagalit” If we don’t find it a joke, do we plead guilty?
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