Filipinos are enraged with an article written by Chinese journalist Chip Tsao for HK Magazine entitled “The War At Home”.
And who wouldn’t be, he just considered us (Filipinos) as a NATION OF SERVANTS…
Here’s the article:
“The Russians sank a Hong Kong freighter last month, killing the seven Chinese seamen on board. We can live with that—Lenin and Stalin were once the ideological mentors of all Chinese people. The Japanese planted a flag on Diàoyú Island. That’s no big problem—we Hong Kong Chinese love Japanese cartoons, Hello Kitty, and shopping in Shinjuku, let alone our round-the-clock obsession with karaoke.
But hold on—even the Filipinos? Manila has just claimed sovereignty over the scattered rocks in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, complete with a blatant threat from its congress to send gunboats to the South China Sea to defend the islands from China if necessary. This is beyond reproach. The reason: there are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working as $3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don’t flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.
As a patriotic Chinese man, the news has made my blood boil. I summoned Louisa, my domestic assistant who holds a degree in international politics from the University of Manila, hung a map on the wall, and gave her a harsh lecture. I sternly warned her that if she wants her wages increased next year, she had better tell every one of her compatriots in Statue Square on Sunday that the entirety of the Spratly Islands belongs to China.
Grimly, I told her that if war breaks out between the Philippines and China, I would have to end her employment and send her straight home, because I would not risk the crime of treason for sponsoring an enemy of the state by paying her to wash my toilet and clean my windows 16 hours a day. With that money, she would pay taxes to her government, and they would fund a navy to invade our motherland and deeply hurt my feelings.
Oh yes. The government of the Philippines would certainly be wrong if they think we Chinese are prepared to swallow their insult and sit back and lose a Falkland Islands War in the Far East. They may have Barack Obama and the hawkish American military behind them, but we have a hostage in each of our homes in the Mid-Levels or higher. Some of my friends told me they have already declared a state of emergency at home. Their maids have been made to shout “China, Madam/Sir” loudly whenever they hear the word “Spratly.” They say the indoctrination is working as wonderfully as when we used to shout, “Long live Chairman Mao!” at the sight of a portrait of our Great Leader during the Cultural Revolution. I’m not sure if that’s going a bit too far, at least for the time being.”
OH C’MON! Totally derogatory and downright mean! I have little idea about how we got the Spratly Islands but we are valid to own it up, so who is he to reprimand his Filipina maid to tell everyone that the entirety of the Spratly Islands belongs to China?! F-YOU!
And don’t you ever insult your maid or any OFW in your country; do you know that the Filipino overseas worker has the ability to influence the entire world economy? Thanks to the medical professionals, caregivers, engineers, educators and entertainers of the country. I like what Akbayan Rep. Ana Theresia “Risa” Hontiveros-Baraquel (dear what a long name,haha) suggested:
"Filipina domestic workers should hold a one-day strike to tell the likes of Chip Tsao who's the real master of the HK economy. If all Filipino workers in HK would strike, the HK economy would grind to a halt without us having to invade the territory,”
Love it!
Man, public apology isn’t enough. This is a complete case of racism, to think that we’re both Asians… tsk2, very disappointing. Chip Tsao is a best-selling author and columnist. A former reporter for the BBC, his columns have also appeared in Apple Daily, Next Magazine and CUP Magazine, among others. Yes, he is a person who can influence others through writing and this is how he used his power.
I remembered our premise when I joined a Debate Contest in 2006: Can we still be proud on being Filipinos to other countries. I remembered my speech as the government whip and recalled how I mentioned all the possible reasons on why we should still be proud on being Filipinos, and as I write this I thought… why not prove to him that we are not their servants. Study harder, work harder, and let’s see who the boss is.
If this is a satire as what they’re claiming, well I don’t find it at any way funny and most especially, witty. And in satire, sarcasm is very much evident in the writing, sarcasm meaning agreeing on the things that you actually attack. In Tsao’s article, he attacked us Filipinos bluntly, no hesitations whatsoever… again, it is not amusing at all. Satire or not, it's still rude and too much.
I HATE THIS ARTICLE AS MUCH AS I HATE THAT GUY. We are not servants; we just know the value of work, dedication and commitment. This is a complete opposite to how Europeans looked at Filipinos as the brilliance of the universities before, during Rizal’s time for example.
We can still uplift the way people see us, and it should still start from ourselves, like what the last line says on my debate speech: shame on those who do not take pride on their homeland.
BE PROUD, A NATION OF SERVANTS PERHAPS, BUT SERVANTS CAN GO HIGHER, CAN MOVE UPWARDS... AND FOR THOSE WHO ACT AS BOSSES ON TOP? WELL, THEY HAVE NOWHERE TO GO BUT DOWNWARDS.
