Philippines files note verbale over hate crimes in US

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has sent a note verbale to the US State Department after a 61-year-old Filipino-American was slashed in the face in the New York City subway.

The Philippine embassy in Washington expressed serious concern over the rising number of attacks against Asian-Americans in the US.

In an interview on Teleradyo, Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said he filed the note verbale a week ago.

“I wrote letters to some senators, their justice committee and the racial discrimination committee of the US Senate,” Romualdez said in a mix of Filipino and English.

Noel Quintana, an administrative assistant, was attacked in the morning of Feb. 3 while on his way to work. His face was slashed from ear to ear.

Quintana was not the first Filipino victim of a hate crime in the US under the pandemic. 

The ambassador said hate crimes against Asian-Americans began to increase since September.

The embassy called on federal, state and local authorities in the US to take action to ensure the further protection of Asians, including Filipinos.

“We already called the attention of the State Department, and we said that it seems like Asian-Americans are being targeted because the government back then called it (COVID-19) the ‘China virus,’” he added.

The group Stop Asian American Pacific Islander Hate said attacks and racial slurs against Asian-Americans have increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The embassy advised Filipinos in the US to exercise “utmost caution” due to rising incidents of hate crimes against Asians in the country.