This article caught my attention and struck a cord in me, for how many times have we Filipinos gone into heated discussions amongst ourselves about what we all believe in the field of teaching in Thailand to be a discriminatory affair – that of our being non-native speakers of English, and therefore, undeserving of positions in the teaching of English? And yet, here we are, plainly discriminating against our kind, as exemplified by Candy’s act while in the city of Baguio? And so, yes, I agree with Abel Cadias, the author. How many times have we been guilty ourselves of this “Candyness”, even as we complain about others discriminating against us? We should be pointing more fingers toward ourselves and less outward. Surely, more can be accomplished by doing that.

Guilty of Ethnic Discrimination
By Abel Morales Cadias

 A female comedian was banned from visiting, and airing her shows and movies in the city of Baguio. It all began when she uttered a snide remark about the Igorots. She claimed that the “racial slur” was a blunder during her public apology on TV. But many Igorots were not satisfied of her explanation and apology. Her name is Candy Pangilinan.

The Igorots lived in the Philippines’ Cordillera region. It comprises the six provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province, plus the lone city of Baguio. Among the people in the Cordilleras, not all Kalinga and Ifugao accept the designation of Igorot due to its perceived negative stigma which is incorrectly connected to backwardness and inferiority.

Candy Pangilinan is guilty of ethnic discrimination. There is no doubt about that. It will take time, patience and understanding for her to regain her reputation back among the Igorot communities in the Philippines and around the globe. The “persona non grata” branded to her which led to her banning may look like an overreaction of local politicians to other Filipinos including some Igorots but it was the right thing to do. And this is no longer about Candy Pangilinan…this is all about the Filipinos’ mentality and attitude towards the minorities and even towards the “inferior” countries due to constant stereotyping of color, language and traditions.

Candy Pangilinan’s gloomy fate was used to campaign against any form of racial discrimination. It is a strong gesture of sending a message to all Filipinos and the world that there is a need to check on our values and attitudes. In all honesty, Candy Pangilinan is not guilty alone. We are all guilty because we do tend to “discriminate” others even in our intention of just injecting humor into our conversation.

This case is a reality check…a call for self reflection.

 For more of Abel's articles you can visit his blog at www.abelcadias.blog.co.uk 

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Lesson learned, ...t'was really a bad day for her when s

August 08, 2009     

...t'was really a bad day for her when she indecently crack those words... (no need to mention, its done!...) hehehehe
Lornababy | 58.147.7.101 report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1