‘Desperate’ uproar opens door for Pinoy talents

WASHINGTON DC – A perceived racial slur in the Desperate Housewives TV series that inflamed Filipinos at home and abroad may turn into an opportunity for those interested in pursuing careers in television as actors, directors, producers, newscasters, and executives at ABC and its affiliates, community leaders said. 

The imbroglio exploded 10 days ago at the start of Season 4 of the ABC premier episode when one of the show’s lead characters, played by actress Teri Hatcher, asked a gynecologist examining her: “Can I see those diplomas ‘coz I just want to make sure that they’re not from some med school in the Philippines.”

Following a wave of protests across the United States, statements of indignation and condemnation by government officials in Manila and an online demand for an apology from ABC signed by more than 100,000 Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in less than a week, ABC Senior Vice President of Diversity, Robert Mendez, agreed to explore a program that might help increase opportunities for Filipinos at the network.

In reply to a letter from Jon Melegrito, Communications director of the National Federation of Filipino-American Associations (NaFFAA), Mendez suggested a meeting in Washington with his staff and Filipinos interested in pursuing careers in television.

“It would be a wonderful opportunity for ABC to deepen the talent pool with candidates from the Filipino community,” Mendez said.

Melegrito said ABC’s proposal to deepen its talent pool will open doors for all Filipinos in the United States, whether permanent residents or naturalized citizens, and give them access to positions in ABC as “writers, directors, producers, including an internship and training program.”

“We expect implementation of this special outreach program within 3-4 months as a demonstration of ABC’s commitment,” he said.

The impassioned reaction of Filipinos caught ABC by surprise and the network issued an apology, saying “there was no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines.”

Network executives also promised to take immediate action to remove the controversial scene from all DVD releases and rebroadcasts.

Melegrito credited Perry Diaz, a community leader in the West Coast and editor of Balita-USA, for suggesting in his column that instead of a lawsuit and boycott against ABC the community should convince the network to open employment opportunities at all levels for Filipino-Americans.