I couldn’t understand some parts of this article, but it sounds interesting…

Sayang lang ang pinag-aralan mo,,,,
Why did you discriminate those peolpe na wala namang ginagawa sayo?

Ang mga Filipino na OFW’s ay nagtratrabaho ng tahimik tapos gaganyanin mo lang, hindi mo ba alam na maaapiktohan ang kanilang pagtratrabaho?

wala akong masabi, hindi ka alam kong matutowa ako o maiinis sa mga paratang mo sa iyong kababayan…

sayang ka………

YOUR SUSCH A BULLFRAG…………

AY BASTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sana gamitim mo sa tama kung ano ang binigay sayong talino…………

The writer messed up and despite her delusional stance on how funny the article was, the damage she was dealt a punishment of unprecedented proportions for someone who writes in the Lifestyle Section – a part of the newspaper that is traditionally an escape from the rigors of the real world to retreat to the lighter side of life. But then again, who has forgotten about the Claire Danes fiasco back in the 90s when she cited Manila as a ghastly place during one of her interviews? The actress did stay in a run-down building to shoot some scenes for a Hollywood movie and Manila really is a huge departure from the streets of Los Angeles, so every greasy beggar that came to her car’s window would’ve shocked her far more than it “shocks” (if still at all) us now.

Some Filipinos also reacted violently when a dog-eater joke was used in a major awards program. Not so long ago, a Jay Leno joke that made fun of the Philippine pull-out in Iraq also caught the ire of a few who didn’t exactly find the gag that funny. Clearly, Filipinos are not the biggest fans of humor and comedy especially when they’re the topic of tongue-in-cheek wit. Pinoys are sensitive, and they will react in a way comparable to how people from Muslim countries reacted when the Muhammad cartoon strips controversy erupted a while back. We are a zealous people – an overeager race who would defend the motherland and our people – at least with scathing words — when the call of duty is made.

With the Malu Fernandez issue, the Philippine Blogging Community has gained some semblance of clout and influence as far as the whole milieu of the media is concerned. We’re not becoming a relevant flank in this side of journalism, and we have to make sure that we take good care of this

But when I read comments like these in blogs, I can’t help but scratch my head and feel really perplexed:

You have said in your “apology” to leave your family and friends out of this fiasco.On the contrary Ms Fernandes,your actions reflects those who are close to you,ever heard of the saying”BIRDS OF THE SAME FEATHERS….” or our own native saying “KUNG ANO ANG PUNO SIYA ANG BUNGA”.

pasalamat ka Emirates Airline nasakyan mo, kc sa Dudai nag land at hindi nag-emergency landing sa Sharjah, kun Air Arabia di kakpapayagan kc BAWAL BABOY SA MGA MUSLIM COUNTRIES

Comments taken from Selvo’s blog.

If you go to that blog, there are plenty of colorful comments that make fun of Malu Fernandez’s hefty frame. Actually, it has spilled over to a genuine brand of hatred. You can actually see a horde of village people trying to lynch someone with a bunch of pitchforks, hoes and axes. The comments are mostly irrational and as laughable as the actual article by Fernandez. Instead of posting pieces that would reflect an intellectual slant (as Tess Termulo would want it), people got carried away. While I agree that people should be given the leeway to react explosively – and we’re all guilty of this — after such a boisterous effort to discriminate, cooler heads and level-headedness still has to prevail eventually.

What has her weight have to do with the fact that she is an irritating elitist who writes not-so-funny articles? What’s the point of calling her ugly? True or not, it has nothing to do with the way she discriminated against the Filipinos she shared that flight with!

As one commenter in Tess Termulo’s blog said (verbatim):

Not all is born intellect… [sic]

As grammatically-deficient as the comment was, it does reflect a lot of things regarding this medium. Not all people will be able to verbalize his or her concerns regarding the article in a manner that would discuss the major points. It’s more likely that those who will be unable to dissect the article will be tempted to engage in gratuitous name-calling and emotional rhetoric that would amount to nothing in the end.

I think it’s about time that we call for some sanity. Yes, Malu Fernandez is one nasty writer who chose to discriminate on the basis of socioeconomic factors. I don’t even care who she discriminated against – an Overseas Filipino Worker is as much a hero as a diligent Filipino employee here in the Filipinos who is working for his family’s future. They are equals – both are making sacrifices for their families and both are inspiring and commendable citizens of our country. She should be held accountable for the things she done – but not for her weight (trust me, diabetes and heart disease will see her shortly), her looks and certainly not her family.

This sort of comment gives me hope though:

i am not saying that we as ofw’s can not act on our own. what i am trying to point out is we need to explore other avenues, other schools of thought on how to get the proper audience to listen to us. we obviously need help in accomplishing that task as we do not have the right machinery. for me, if we could show our disgust for what malu did to us in some other ways other than publishing a collective condemnation, why not, di ba? anyway, we only have one goal: to make sure that this kind of bigotry does not happen again.

I’ll be on Media In Focus (ABS CBN NEWS CHANNEL) this Thursday to tape an episode regarding the Malu Fernandez issue and this article will more or less be the focus of my comments.

Sa wakas! Hehehe