‘Unspeakable act’: Envoy outraged by racist attack on Filipino elderly woman in New York

MANILA, Philippines — Unspeakable act.

This was how Consul General Elmer Cato described the latest anti-Asian attack, this time on an elderly Filipino woman living in New York who had been punched and kicked more than 125 times by her assailant.

Cato said the attack on the unnamed victim, aged 67, is already the third incident in less than a week where elderly members of the Filipino community in New York have become victims of random violence.

Aside from the physical violence that the victim suffered, the victim was also at the receiving end of racial slurs uttered by the suspect.

“We are outraged by this unspeakable act committed against an elderly member of the Filipino Community,” the New York-based envoy said in a tweet.

We are outraged by this unspeakable act committed against an elderly member of the Filipino Community. This is the third incident in less than a week where elderly kababayan have become victims of random violence. @AAFederation @PHinNewYork @teddyboylocsin https://t.co/43n2pxrhiN

— Elmer G Cato (@elmer_cato) March 15, 2022

“Our kababayan is still in the hospital. We are reaching out to the family,” Cato said in a text message to INQUIRER.net.

Cato said the consulate in New York is now in touch with the police to address the attacks, while reports in the United States claimed state that the suspect has been charged with attempted murder.

The first racist attack involved a Filipina in her late 50s who was pushed down the stairs at the 179th Street Station of the F Train in the neighborhood of Jamaica in Queens by an unidentified man last March 10.

The second one involved a Filipina in her 60s who was pushed at the Long Island Rail Road train platform by an unidentified man, also in the same neighborhood on the same day.

Both incidents resulted in injuries on the victims.

New York is still experiencing a high crime rate with criminal incidents soaring almost 60 percent in February compared to the same month in 2021, Cato earlier said.

The consulate will be conducting a “self-defense and situational awareness” webinar on March 28.

EDV