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FILIPINO bloggers are reacting to a remark made by one of the characters in a r ecent episode of television series "Desperate Housewives." While many condemned the remark as a racist slur and called for a boycott of th e show, others suggested that people write to the producers of the show to comp lain. The Filipino bloggers were reacting to a remark by the character Susan Mayer De lfino, played by Teri Hatcher, who was objecting to being checked by a doctor u ntil she was sure of the doctor's credentials. "Can I check those diplomas? Coz I would just like to make sure they are not fr om some med school in the Philippines," Delfino told her gynecologist during a scene in a hospital where she went to ask why her menstrual cycle was off for s everal months. (Editor's note: Click on Ruben Nepales' blog post to hear an MP3 file of the dia logue between Delfino and her doctor.) Filipino blogger Mike in Manila agreed that the remark was unfair and racist, and that every Fili pino had the right to get upset. "So yes, do complain do get upset and do remark that they should do something a bout it to make it up to the millions of nurses and doctors from the Philippine s. Or just not watch the show- boycott it. But this is hardly a national insult more of a call to DECS [education department], DOH [health department], and, M edical Schools, to awaken and be aware of the need to clarify issues past of pr oblems. A call to be aware of the problem which Mr. Nadal does, and makes other s at ABC TV aware. It is also an image problem that needs to be addressed by CH ED the DECS and others like the DOH. 'Di po ba?" the blogger wrote. A scandal hit the nursing board examinations last year after some examinees exp osed alleged massive cheating. An e-mail from a certain Kevin Nadal, a Filipino performance artist, is now cir culating on the Internet encouraging Filipinos to sign an online petition to protest the remarks against Filipino doctors. "This type of derogatory remark is not only unnecessary and hurtful, but is als o unfounded, considering the presence of Filipinos and Filipino Americans in th e health care industry⦠To belittle the education, experience, or value of Fil ipino Americans in health care is disrespectful and plain and simply ignorant," Nadal wrote in his e-mail message now being passed on by other Filipinos throu gh mailing lists and blogs. "As Filipino Americans, we need to band together to ensure that this type of ha teful message is not allowed to continue on our television and radio airwaves," he added. A search on Google would indicate the reactions of the Filipino bloggers. Filipino doctor Martin Bautista, who practices in the US, said that Filipino ph ysicians are in an uproar over the episode of "Desperate Housewives." In his blog entry "Who's Desperate?" Bautista revealed that Filipino doctors in the US have called for a boycott of the television show and demande d an apology from the producers of the show. A class action suit is also being weighed, he said. "I totally understand the outrage considering all the racial, academic and fina ncial obstacles we all had to hurdle. But let's examine this closer. Do I expec t to lose a single patient in rural Oklahoma as a result of this comment? Are w e Filipino doctors irreparably harmed? I don't think we doctors worked and stud ied very hard just to become excessively threatened by insensitive and mediocre scriptwriting. We should have a fair idea of how much we are truly worth. "I admit I used to be awed by Harvard and company. Not anymore. I now know it i sn't all in the school, no matter how plush their classrooms are and how much c utting-edge technology is available in the laboratories or even in faculty memb ers brimming with degrees. A physician's competence ultimately depends on one's capacity to learn arising from a deep compassion to care for our patients," he continued. "So while I am not happy about the comment I will continue to be at the endosco py unit at 6:45 am and see patients the whole day and get on with my practice a nd give the best patient care that I can. I don't intend to be bothered by thos e who will allow DH to influence their choice of physicians," he said. The Palace has said that it will ask the show producers to apologize for the racial slur in the popular US tele vision show. Filipino blogger Misteryosa also did not hold back words. "Filipinos are talented and smart (but kinda stupid, yeah), and I can't underst and why a show like Desperate Housewives would stoop so low as to offhandedly t hrow an insult just like that," Misteryosa wrote in her blog. Other bloggers provided a link to the YouTube video clip of the controversial remark made by Hatcher's character.

I LOVE "Heroes," so mu ch that we actually spoofed it in Episode 7 of hackenslash: the podcast, with more "Hero Sandwich" epis odes to come. Yeah, I know they've only recently started airing the series on Philippine TV, but, ahem, I found ways of getting my "Heroes" fix months ago, so I won't spo il the surprise for those who are just discovering this amazing series. If you don't mind spoilers, however, one of the blogs I started frequenting w hen I got hooked on "Heroes" is HeroestheSeries.com.  Another interesting blog is Heroes Revealed. Speaking of blogs, you have to check out Hiro's Blog, which is a hilarious blog ostens ibly maintained by the character Hiro Nakamura (played by Masi Oka), easily one of the fan favorites on this show. You can also visit the blog of "Heroes" director and producer Greg Beeman. Oh, and kudos to Ali Lartner Larter, who plays Niki and Jessi ca, for being named by TV Guide as one of TV's sexiest women. Now, back to getting my "Heroes" fix and pondering that cosmic question: "How d o you stop an exploding man?"