So let’s stop watching Desperate Housewives!

While we were out in Bangkok, we really didn’t get any news from the Philippines. The Bangkok Post had no news about us, which I reckon should be counted as good news. Our hotel’s tv only had a few channels or shows on cable and they only had the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) and no Cable News Network (CNN), which I remember was banned by the Thai military government during the last coup against Prime Minster Thaksin. So when I got back home, I searched the back issues and found out that there was an international furor about that ABC Television show “Desperate Housewives” when one of its stars, Teri Hatcher delivered a racial slur about Filipino medical schools

I just read an email that a group of Filipino doctors were planning to file a multimillion-dollar class action lawsuit for public defamation and damages against ABC Television Network. According to Fil-AM lawyer Rodel Rodis, “This is the only way I believe we can compel ABC to make a high-profile apology to the Filipino community.” I fully agree with this move, but what are they waiting for? Talking about it won’t do them any good. Let them file that suit pronto!

Accordingly, the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (Nafcon) is demanding that the program broadcast its apology during the show’s next episode, conduct cultural sensitivity training workshops for network staff, produce more shows depicting Filipinos and other minority groups in “prominent, positive roles,” and support Filipino-American projects that will strengthen diversity awareness.

While ABC Television Network came up with a “so-so” apology, it wasn’t enough as the damage was already done. While this racist remark was blurted by actress Teri Hatcher, the person responsible for this is the screenwriter who obviously harbors some kind of hatred towards Filipinos in the medical field. Many Fil-Am doctors and allied Filipino groups in the US were apparently not fully satisfied with the brief apology issued by the network, or with the response they got during an hour-long meeting in New York City on Friday with Robert Mendez, the network’s senior vice president for diversity and talent development.

So far, there’s been an Internet based signature campaign, which only gathered a little more than a hundred thousand signatures. I dare say that we should sign up and show the American Networks that Filipinos can unite and make so much noise they would be forced to apologize on that show. Too bad, we can’t block this show on cable but in protest, let’s ask Pinoys to stop watching this tv drama to show our support to our brother Pinoys.

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Will the ill-conceived and ill-fated US$329-million National Broadband Network (NBN) deal finally end up in court? Apparently so because lawyer Roel Pulido filed a breach of ethics case against House Speaker Jose De Venecia Jr., questioning the House Speaker’s claim that his son, Jose “Joey” De Venecia III, “did not have any interest” in the Multi-Media Telephony Inc. (MTI) when the firm was granted a congressional franchise during his father’s term. Au contraire, Atty. Pulido insists that Joey already had an interest in that company when it was hatched in Congress.

Atty. Pulido sent me his entire legal brief via email that clearly identifies Joey de Venecia III as the founder of this company. Atty. Pulido says, “in the ‘Investors/Key Officers’ page of the MTI web site, which is now undergoing modifications, ‘Jose Perez de Venecia III’ is not only recognized as the firm’s chairman and chief executive officer (until June 2007), but also the company’s initiator and creator.”

Atty. Pulido also attached in his complain against the House Speaker a four-paragraph description of De Venecia III, which says, “In 1995, Mr. De Venecia (III) founded Multi-Media Telephony Inc., a telecommunications operator and the operating company of Broadband Philippines. The term ‘founded’ clearly proves that De Venecia III had an interest in MTI from the very start – that he in fact established the company – contrary to his father’s claim.” So where do we go from here?

Surely the House Committee on Ethics should seriously investigate this issue, which is totally separate and distinct from the failed NBN deal. I really don’t know why Atty. Pulido filed his complaint first before the House Committee on Ethics. I strongly believe that Smoking Joe’s “alalays” in Congress would either ignore this complainant or throw it out. However, finally Atty. Pulido saw the light and has now filed this case before the Sandiganbayan. This case will certainly draw more attention against JDV and perhaps give an ominous warning to the members of Congress that even lawmakers are not above the law!