Filipinos Rebuke Chip Tsao’s Cheap Shot
Call it satire aimed at his own country or a serious racial slur directed at Filipinos, Hong Kong magazine writer Chip Tsao is getting what he wanted: attention.
But beyond this gentleman’s ill-considered ‘shock-jock’ article tagging the Philippines as a “nation of servants” Filipinos are heaping scorn and expressing righteous indignation.
Among the latest reactions:
DFA spokesperson Eduardo Malaya:
“It’s the view of one person and we don’t think it is shared by the Hong Kong community and society…. I think we ought to take it as that. It does not come from an official of the Hong Kong government, it does not come from the government itself.” But there is no excuse for Tsao’s which fails the contribution of the Filipino community in Hong Kong. The Philippine Consulate in Hongkong will, in consultation with community members, our Filipino community members in Hong Kong, undertake the needed and appropriate response to this particular commentary.” Our consul general’s initial report indicates Tsao is “already getting an earful” from readers of the HK Magazine.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde:
“We will look into that because we should not be provoked by one columnist. What that writer did was reprehensible. Let’s see what needs to be done].”
Cebu Representative Antonio Cuenco, House Foreign Affairs Comm. Chair: “We should not let it pass. I will ask Secretary [Alberto] Romulo to send a protest, a note verbale. Even if Tsao meant to be satirical, “it should not be at our expense.”
Sen. Pia S. Cayetano: “Instead of contributing to intelligent discussions on ways to resolve the Spratlys dispute, Tsao only succeeded in eliciting hatred and sowing more confusion not only among Filipinos but maybe even among his fellow Chinese who are not aware of the intricacies of the issue.
HK Magazine and Tsao must apologize for insulting Filipinos, and they should pledge not to commit this mistake again.
Our being a poor nation does not diminish the validity of our historical and legal claim to the Spratlys.
The controversy, like others before it, will blow over. Even Tsao’s publication, HK Magazine, is probably even emjoying brisker street sales.
But in the end the deep resentments Tsao has fuelled with his cheap shot, and the animosity it has wittingly triggered will endure much longer than this one Hong Kong man’s 15 minutes of inglorious fame. In the Pinoy blogosphere Chip Tsao has earned one well deserved tag: MORON.
At Midfield 
If only Manila could take the cudgels for OFWs in Hong Kong and give China a bit of spanking by recalling and banning deployment of OFWs from/to China, then China, well specifically Hong Kong, might feel some pinch from the “servant.” I guess, if there would be any takers, i.e., if there’s any nation who would take the place of Pinoy OFWs–if the recall and banning is a possibility, they will certainly miss the services of their “servant.”
Hi, Jim.
That would be any self-respecting nation’s proper move. I will wait for what GMA decides to do. Though I have my doubts about Malacanang having the intestinal fortitude to take on the Chinese.
It’s best we live sensitive and complex issues like territorial dispute to the the politician because if it is left to a intellectual moron with a taste of rascism, unwitty and unfunny sarcasm like Chip “Cheap” Tsao it became a billowing char of rotten garbage of a writing, inciting hatred. I like Hong Kong and it’s people. I have many Hong Kong friend that does not have the same opinion as he does, but this arrogant bastard is archi-type of what they called in Hong Kong as Banana man, Yellow outside and white-colonial mentality inside. At some points he is disgusted of his fellow Chinese specially of the mainland people thinking they are all village people (xiang xia ren) and lacks poise that he an educated but retarded and racist mind has and at other point disgust of western people(Gweilo) attitudes towards Hongkong but liking to the education that he had in the UK. He has utter confusion where to side…to the brits or to the new masters, the Chinese, a damn dickless coward! I bet he has not tried to live in China and see what kind of press freedom and expression he can muster. I am a Filipino and I’ve traveled a lot of places here in China, I love China and have respected the people around me. Where his family came from, Guangxi is a nice place and I bet that bastard won’t even leave his home of fine things in Hong Kong to live in the Mainland where he says he pledge his allegiance and patriotism. He’s just another Banana Man easily mashed-up piece of garbage writer! We Filipinos are chocolate and sweet! Mabuhay ang manggawang Filipino sa abroad!
Again we should not banter with the same racial slurring as he did, we filipinos should not go down to his same frame of mind. The alternative to this is to talk constructively of what we can do to achieve a peaceful way of setting boundaries. We are peace loving people, we do not slur at other race instead we embrace them. I get that Chip Tsao write unwitty and unfunny sarcasm to stir opinion but if we rebutt his demeaning slurs with slurs to the Chinese it wold be pointless, let just put this guy into one box and label him as “piece of sh!t writer and separate them from the rest of the best journalist there is in Hongkong or around the world.
Hi gigolski,
You are correct.
Chip is an aberration.