MANILA, Philippines--The Philippine consulate general in Hong Kong on Monday demanded an apology from writer Chip Tsao for his column "The War At Home," which it said demeaned overseas Filipino workers.As of Monday afternoon, the article has been pulled down from the website. "Mr. Tsao and Asia City Publishing owe the Filipino community in Hong Kong a formal apology for the grave disrespect they have shown," said Philippine Deputy Consul General Kira Danganan in a statement from Hong Kong. She also said the March 27, 2009 column in HK Magazine failed as a satire. "While Mr. Tsao may have intended his column to be a piece of satire, he has miserably miscalculated in this endeavor," the Filipino diplomat said. Danganan echoed the "outraged" reaction of Filipinos here and elsewhere. "The image of racism that Mr. Tsao portrayed in his column has demeaned the members of his own household and the more than 127,000 Filipinos working in Hong Kong as household service workers," Danganan said. "Their contributions to Hong Kong’s achievements are undeniable. Their work is a noble and dignified one," she added. The column is discussed in many blogs, with some arguing that the article was meant to disparage the Chinese government for making a big deal out of the disputed Spratlys Islands when China's bigger issues with Russia and Japan are being ignored. Danganan said Hong Kong residents do not share the columnist's "racist" views. "It is unfortunate that such an article could be published in a city that prides itself as a progressive society, that has achieved milestones in multicultural harmony, and whose very character is defined by the presence of people from all corners of the globe," she said. "Despite this unfortunate incident, the long-standing friendship and mutual respect being enjoyed by the Filipino community and the Hong Kong society will remain," she added. Meanwhile, a lawmaker on Monday called on Filipinos not to visit Hong Kong and not to patronize its products as a show of protest. “I propose a one year boycott of Hong Kong and let’s see what happens to their shops and hotels. We can do without going to Hong Kong and Hong Kong products,” said Paranaque Representative Roilo Golez in a text message. Golez said Hong Kong nationals should not look down of Filipinos as they help keep the Hong Kong economy afloat. He added that Filipinos also held key positions in many multinational companies, including those in Hong Kong.
“If Filipinos stop going to Hong Kong, their economy would collapse,” the lawmaker said. The United Filipinos in Hong Kong also demanded apology from Tsao. “For the mockery and ridicule we are subjected to and for the license given to treat domestic workers harshly, we demand no less than a public apology from Mr. Tsao,” the group said in a statement. “In his failed attempt to be witty, Mr. Tsao regrettably trivialized the very serious domestic workers’ situation in Hong Kong society. Such an article to appear publicly is very dangerous for it projects that it can be socially-permissible to treat domestic workers as no more than slaves ready to be lectured, ordered around, easily threatened with termination, and made to jump at every whim of employers,” the group added. In his column, Tasao wrote that, “As a nation of servants, you don’t flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.” Furthermore, he wrote that he “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.” With an even more insulting wit, he added that if war breaks out between Philippines and China, he has to fire his domestic worker “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.” | 
