Philippine diplomat accepts Iowa leader’s apology

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

IOWA CITY, Iowa— The Philippine ambassador to the U.S. personally called Iowa Public Safety Commissioner K. Brian London to seek an explanation of his statement that he found Filipinos difficult to polygraph.

Ambassador Jose Cuisia, Jr., called London on Friday to say the remark was inappropriate and had offended Filipinos. He says London profusely apologized even while insisting his remarks were taken out of context.

A spokesman for London has confirmed that he told a group of polygraph examiners earlier this year that, in his experience as a Secret Service agent in the 1980s, he found that “completing polygraphs with Filipinos was difficult.”

He says his remark was meant to illustrate cultural and language barriers that can complicate polygraph tests and did not mean to imply Filipinos are less truthful than others.