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Mar 20, 2008

Slurrrr Me A River

Here's another one for the community about the recent IMC incident on its sudden closure. Reports said that its owner spoke on TV about the incident and made such comments that the Philippine Consulate Office found offensive and branded as a "slur." The TV interview caught the Consul General's ears when he made such comments.

Ok. Now our highly reliable sources from the Filipino community called the Saipan Middle Road Headquarters that they are planning for a massive boycott on all Indian owned establishments here in the CNMI. How true is this? Still a plan. No confirmation yet from the group.

SUSUPE, Saipan - Philippine Consul General to the CNMI Wilfredo DL. Maximo urged a businessman on Saipan to be more cautious in his remarks in the future, following what he describes as irresponsible and sweeping statement on the character of all Filipinos on the basis of one employee in recent media interviews.

Island Medical Center owner Tony Glad, during an interview aired on KSPN-2 on March 14, expressed suspicion that his former Filipino accounts manager’s sudden departure from Saipan may have something to do with the forced closure of his clinic.

The Philippine consul general, however, has taken issue with Glad’s statement which the diplomat says is disparaging to Filipino workers in the US Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

“I am writing to express concern over your remarks during an interview with KSPN on 14 March 2008, during which you were heard to say, in connection with the recent departure of the Filipino accountant of Island Medical Center, that 'It is typical of the Filipinos...when they have problems...they [dis]appear and leave for some reasons,'" Maximo said in his March 19 letter to Glad.

Copies of the letter were also given to the media.

On March 5, the CNMI Department of Public Health ordered Island Medical Center to shut down due to alleged noncompliance with rules and regulations.

The health agency cited Island Medical Center’s “unlawful pattern or practice by issuing health
certificates either without blood screening tests or on the basis of false, forged and/or altered lab test documentary results."

In interviews with the local media a few days after the forced closure, Glad expressed suspicion that his Filipino accounts manager, Romeo Dolot, may have something to do with the violations due to the employee's sudden departure from Saipan.

Dolot reportedly went back to the Philippines.

Maximo said Glad's remark was a slur on all Filipinos on the islands.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I didn't read the article or Maximo's letter but how can Glad's comment, as quote here, constitute a racial slur? Didn't Rev touch on a similar subject in a recent blog?

How does boycotting Indian businesses solve anything?

Anonymous said...

OK, let me get this straight.

It's wrong to generalize about all Filipinos based on the actions of one Filipino. When one Indian does that, however, the appropriate response is to boycott all Indian businesses?

You might want to think this through a little further before acting.

saipanboonieman said...

and its okay to generalize about locals being lazy and unqualified for contract workers' jobs..... seems to me like just more of the same kind of racist crap going around on the islands! this time its again being aimed at filipinos.

Anonymous said...

how come Maximo hits on Glad.. I have never seen a public statement about TTT or G.Cruz when they were holding go home signs..

Anonymous said...

How many Indian owned establishments are there here anyway? Four or five? I'm not sure this qualifies as a "massive" boycott.

Jeff said...

What a joke!

Anonymous said...

Filipino on Indian violence is never a good thing.

But be careful, those sikhs will cut your throat in the night.

Where do you think the term "thug" comes from?

Anonymous said...

Greg took Maximo to lunch at 360. Maybe Maxies's looking for another freebie.

Anonymous said...

It's a racist world, always has been, always will be.

Racist slurs exist for Filipinos, but what's the racial slur for Indians?

But more importantly, when did Stanley Torres cease to be an Israeli and morph into an Irishman?

Anonymous said...

An Indian saying something derogatory about a fellow third world compatriot? Where is the punchline? I sure am "Glad" I'm Chamorro. The way I see it, you are all visitors trespassing on my incestors land. Go home and let us run our islands the way we see it should be run. My incestors cannot be foregotten and we Chamorros live through our bloodline. Haoles go home. Indian and Tagalu stay and work for us and be happy if you make a dollar a hour becuase you only make lesser in your home country. Chamorro nation now!

Anonymous said...

hey anonymous. it's pretty obvious that you are not who you claim to be. you sound like someone i know from Marianas Variety.

Anonymous said...

dontchya know; i mentioned glad's comment in your previous post "sweet escape" days before maximo's letter went public.

let's just get glad's apology and move on. if no apology, then he believes what he said about filipinos, and then we know at least one more thing about glad. that's the most enriching result of this miniscule issue.

and then, do what you want. just don't call it an indo-flip war. sheesh.

Anonymous said...

As alluded to upthread, an ethnic boycott to fight generalizations based on ethnicity is the height of hypocrisy and silliness.

But then again, such a boycott would be no more out of character than the putative boycotts of Porky's due to the owner's support of that ridiculous gambling initiative, or the boycott of Jollibee because of a legislative family member's vote on a particular issue.

In fact, such a boycott is no more unusual on Saipan than the Ombudsperson-sponsored "Unity March" or the fleecing of Pinoy contract workers out of $100 each by the likes of Dekada Shyster and his ilk.

There's a sucker born every minute. Especially among those who give credence to rumours, false promises, and something-for-nothing schemes.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. To the Mainland, Canada, Australia, the Philippines, or wherever.

The whiners and scammers stay on Saipan, file frivolous labor complaints, and engage in boycotts.

Let's hear it for the good guys!

HBM said...

I agree with Cactus! Everyone should condemn slurs against Filipinos and any other group. But punish all Indians for the remarks of one person? Not cool.

Marianas Pride said...

I didn't lose any sleep over Glad's comments, so neither should anyone else. Is he the official leader of Indians residing in Saipan? No? Then who cares! Next topic please. I love Indian food and Indian people as they are generally warm and loving people. Geeez, any chance of having a unity concert so we can all get together and put race aside and enjoy a variety of music? I wish we could all just rise above mediocrity and ignorance. Maybe then racial slurs will be less bothersome. Remember, bonehead racist thugs are a minority here and generally speaking, we are mostly a peaceful island which embraces diversity.

Anonymous said...

If a filipino marries an indian is their child a filipindian or a phindian or a indipino? Flips and towelheads should not fight because they are both from third world countries and are both discriminated against here.

Angelo Villagomez said...

Are you going to boycott the Indian doctors that work at the hospital?

"No! Don't heal me! You're...you're...you're Indian! I'm boycotting you!"

Anonymous said...

I think 'Towelhead' (AKA Raghead) is actually a religious slur against muslims. I might not apply as a racial slur against Indians, especially as many Indians I have met are staunchly anti-muslim.

And is the Noni commenter above REALLY implying that Saipan is NOT third World?

Anonymous said...

How about a bunch of sheep parading up a hill in the rain because while young and dumb they were told repeatedly the all loving god wants us to believe in him or be punished for eternity. There's the real tragedy.

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