Palace: US official's remark on Pinoy nurses uncalled for

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang said yesterday the remarks of an American official against Filipino nurses were “uncalled for,” supporting the move of the Philippine ambassador to Washington to protest the discriminatory pronouncements.

“There may be some sectors who understand his position to get more local employment but we hope that it is not done at the expense of our nurses. You don’t destroy other people just to encourage local employment,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.

She said the Palace does not agree with the remarks and she believes the country’s ambassador has already taken steps to address the remarks of Washington D.C. Councilman Marion Barry.

Earlier, Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Cuisia issued a statement condemning Barry for criticizing local American hospitals for hiring Filipino nurses instead of District of Columbia nurses.

Cuisia described Barry’s comments as “intolerant and narrow-minded.”

Barry said at a council hearing that many local American hospitals were hiring “immigrants who are nurses, particularly from the Philippines, when nursing schools in the district should be training local residents to work in the industry and address nursing shortages.”

“And no offense, but let’s grow our own teachers, let’s grow our own nurses – and so that we don’t have to be scrounging around in our community clinics and other kinds of places – having to hire people from somewhere else,” he added.

Barry had earlier been criticized for saying Asian businesses in Ward 8 are “dirty” and “they ought to go.”

Cuisia said Barry’s “penchant for blaming Asians fuels racism, discrimination and violence.”

Barry later apologized but no city officials have criticized him for the comment about nurses. The district has preferential hiring practices for local residents, reports said.

Binay to Barry: Ill informed

Reacting to these statements, Vice President Jejomar Binay said Filipino nurses working in the US are valued for their hard work.

Binay, presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers’ affairs, said Barry was “ill informed” and his statements are most unfortunate.

“I am sad that a public official had expressed it. He needs to be reminded that the United States is a nation built on the sacrifices of immigrants,” he said. Jose Rodel Clapano