EDITORIAL - Noisy and unruly

A person identified only as H has written a Singaporean website to suggest to that country's Public Transport Council that separate buses be made available for the exclusive use of Filipino maids who, in the letter writer's opinion, are very noisy and unruly.

First of all, the derogatory comments against Filipino maids are only one person's opinion. Secondly, the Singaporean government has taken no official action on the suggestion. Thirdly, the comment does not seem to have caught on.

Lastly, and perhaps more importantly, the comment is not exactly and totally false. Compared to the staid and subdued Singaporeans, Filipinos are more naturally outgoing and boisterous, especially if  they are in groups and get consumed by herd mentality.

More worrisomely, Filipinos are notorious for breaking up a queue. One of the most difficult things to do is make Filipinos fall in line. As the joke goes, the only boarding gate at any international airport that you see being crowded with people jostling to enter is the one for a flight to Manila.

So what should be done here? To be sure, the complaint should not be ignored simply because it is just the gripe of one person. On the other hand, it was a big mistake for Malacanang spokesman Abigail Valte to quickly come to the defense of Filipino maids simply because they are Filipinos.

If Filipinos in Singapore, or anywhere else for that matter, are in error, then steps must be taken to ensure that rectification is made and the error is not repeated. If Filipinos committed no error, steps must be taken nevertheless to make sure none is committed in the future.

The Philippine embassy in Singapore, which during the time of then Ambassador Francisco Benedicto of Cebu gained prominence as the first Philippine foreign posting to really take seriously the welfare of our workers overseas, can continue his legacy by communicating sense to our workers in that country.

Our embassy in Singapore can call in representatives of the different Philippine working groups and Filipino communities to briefings about the native sensibilities of the country they are in. We are what we are, but we also need to make adjustments to where we are and who we deal with.