Filipina assaulted while giving face masks in New York subway

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipina nurse was assaulted in New York City after she offered face masks to a couple while riding a subway earlier this week.

Nurse and cultural artist Potri Ranka Manis sustained bruises in different parts of her body and had to be brought to an emergency room following the incident last Aug. 10.

According to the Philippine Consulate in New York, the incident happened around 6 p.m., with the assailants shouting racial slurs at Manis while she was being attacked.

In a video posted on Facebook, Manis urged New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to address the continuing hate crimes committed against Asians, as well as the waning public support on measures to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Violence against Asians, violence because of COVID-19 precaution confusion, is another virus that attacks the New York City community now, particularly to Asians and Muslims like me,” she said.

“I just got beaten up, I just got assaulted because I’m trying to help this city of New York to prevent the spread of this new variant,” she added.

Wearing face masks is required in New York City public transportation, including in subways where the assault occurred.

The consulate urged Filipinos in the city to always remain vigilant when taking the subway amid incidents of anti-Asian hate and violence.

Several incidents of attacks involving Filipinos have been reported in New York in recent months. Last June, a female consular officer was verbally assaulted while on board a subway on the way to the consulate.

The brutal assault against 65-year-old Filipino-American Vilma Kari was also caught on video last March, showing her being shoved and kicked multiple times while walking near Times Square in Manhattan.

Prior to that, 61-year-old Filipino-American Noel Quintana was slashed on the face while riding the subway in Manhattan.

Philippine consul to New York Elmer Cato earlier urged authorities to take additional measures to make sure that Asian-Americans feel safe when outside their homes in the city.

“It is really unfortunate that our kababayans in New York and other parts of the United States have been caught in this maelstrom along with other Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders,” he said in a statement after formally assuming the post last April.

“In New York alone, the number of hate crimes against the Asian-American community rose eight-fold from January to November 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. The figures do not include recent incidents that involved some of our own,” he added.

Cato encouraged Filipinos to report incidents to the consulate and local authorities.