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HONG KONG?Now contrite, a Hong Kong writer who angered the Philippines with his article poking fun at the country, says he actually admires Philippine democracy and music and would like to someday visit the country he had derisively called a ?nation of servants.?
He says among the places he would like to visit is ?Fort McKinley,? a name that now seems to exist only in the dimming memories of old-timers, having been renamed Fort Bonifacio more than four decades ago.
Kit Tsao, who uses the name Chip Tsao in his Politically Incorrect column in HK Magazine, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that he would like to be removed from the Philippine Bureau of Immigration?s list of undesirable aliens barred from entering the country.
In Manila, Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan said he would personally give Tsao a tour of the Philippines if he visited the country, but Tsao must first issue a formal apology and request for a lifting of the ban.
?I have never been to the Philippines and it?s a shame that I?ve never been to the place that [inspired] a long poem written by the founding father (Jose Rizal) in Spanish. I wish one day I will be able to go there,? Tsao said.
On Wednesday night, Tsao went to the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong to face the Filipino community and offer his ?deepest and most sincere apology.?
Before that, Tsao had apologized several times on Hong Kong TV, radio and newspapers for his column.
?I chose to come here. I think it would be fairer for me to meet some of the union leaders and representatives of the community to clarify what has been happening in the past few days,? Tsao said in an interview after addressing the Filipino group.
The 50-year-old Tsao bowed after his talk.
Apology not accepted
But some Filipinos in his audience were unforgiving.
?You are a freaking racist,? businessman Ricky Sadiosa said. ?Your apology to me is not accepted. I think you?re lying.?
Sadiosa called Tsao a ?nobody? in the Hong Kong media industry.
Tsao arrived at the consulate alone.
?I am very sorry and I apologize,? Tsao told some 70 Filipino community leaders. ?I wish to say that it was never my intention to humiliate, upset or insult the Filipino community in Hong Kong and the people of the Philippines.?
Tsao reiterated that he was a political satirist and that he aimed his criticism at arrogant employers.
He said he had great admiration for the hardworking nature of Filipinos, for the democracy in the Philippines and the music by Filipino artists.
?The Philippines is a free democracy and a culture which I?ve admired for very long. I have a lot of admiration for the nation, and I think Hong Kong should learn from this more,? he said.
Long time to heal
After the meeting, Tsao told the Inquirer that he would love to see the Philippines one day.
?The places I want to go to most is Fort McKinley, which I have heard in literature books, to the cemetery of the deceased American soldiers and to the tomb [of Rizal],? he said.
?In the future, I?d be happy to promote the Filipino people and the Filipino community in Hong Kong,? Tsao said.
Deputy Consul General Kira Danganan-Azucena told Tsao that she appreciated his coming over.
?It might take some time for us to heal from this experience but your coming here is an important first step toward that direction,? Azucena said.
On Wednesday morning, Azucena was called to a meeting by Hong Kong Secretary for Security Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong to convey the Hong Kong government?s message that it did not share Tsao?s sentiments and that the article was indeed ?insensitive.?
Formalities needed
The Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila said the consulate and the community leaders officially accepted Tsao?s apology and that they appealed to the Filipino community to not allow the incident to undermine the friendly relations between the community and Hong Kong society.
Libanan said in an interview that if Tsao asked for the lifting of the ban on him, the consul general in Hong Kong would assess his sincerity and ?then I?ll make an order lifting the ban against him based on the recommendation of the consul general.?
He said Tsao ?has to go through the formalities.?
If Tsao is allowed to enter the Philippines, Libanan said: ?I will show him how multifaceted the country is. I will show him the cross-section of our society, from the bosses to the maids.?
Some community members were determined to push through with a rally in Hong Kong on Sunday to protest discrimination against Filipino domestics.
The United Filipinos (Unifil) in Hong Kong, together with the Mission for Migrant Workers and the Migrant Workers Union-HK, also filed a complaint against Tsao and his article before the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), a statutory government body, and the Hong Kong Press Council.
?Go back to school?
The migrants rights and welfare advocacy group Blas F. Ople Policy Center said Tsao should ?go back to school, not only to learn how to write a good satire but also to master the art of humility.?
?His tongue-in-cheek apology reveals that he lacks a genuine appreciation of the principles of human dignity,? said the center?s president, former Labor Undersecretary Susan Ople.
In a statement from Hong Kong, Unifil chair Dolores Balladares said: ?Our complaint letters are a proof that we will not take racial slurs such as Tsao?s sitting down.?
The EOC, an agency of the Home Affairs Bureau of the Hong Kong government, entertains complaints related to discrimination regarding sex, disability, family status and race.
The Hong Kong Press Council is a self-regulatory body that promotes professional ethical standards among local newspapers.
The complaint letters demand that both institutions reprimand Tsao and the publishers of HK Magazine.
130,000 maids
Tsao?s description of the Philippines as a ?nation of servants? came in an article mocking Manila?s efforts to pursue its claim to some of the isles in the potentially oil-rich Spratly Islands.
Tsao said the Philippines had no right to claim the Spratlys, which China claims to be its own.
?There are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working as US$3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don?t flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter,? Tsao wrote. With reports from Jerome Aning and Cynthia D. Balana in Manila
