TRINKLED

ABC reaches out to Fil-Ams to make up for Desperate Housewives flak

By RODNEY J. JALECO ABS-CBN North America News Bureau
WASHINGTON D.C. - American TV network ABC is delivering on a promise to open its doors to Filipino talents, kicking off an outreach program here later this month.
Jon Melegrito, communications director for the National Federation of Filipino American Associations , revealed to ABS-CBNs Balitang America the start of a planned series of outreach programs in U.S. cities with large Fil-American communities.
The outreach is a direct offshoot of a dialogue between Fil-Am community leaders and top ABC executives following the firestorm over a perceived slur against Filipino doctors in the top-rating program, Desperate Housewives.
In its 2007 season opener, a character in the show played by Teri Hatcher, responding to a doctor who said she may be experiencing the onset of menopause, said: “Can I just check those diplomas to make sure theyre not from some med school in the Philippines”.
That line triggered angry protests here and in the Philippines. Doctors picketed the network giants offices on both coasts. ABC quickly apologized for the incident and offered to talk with Fil-Am community leaders. Melegrito was among the leaders tasked to speak with Bob Mendez, senior vice president for diversity.
More Filipinos in shows sought
“We told him, ‘look the reality is that in most of the nations hospitals 80 percent are Filipino doctors and nurses. They are the chief surgeons and head nurses but the reality is that you dont see them on the screen. We need to see Filipino faces because in reality they are the ones running the hospitals,” he averred.
Melegrito said they found ABCs regret sincere, and their desire to mend fences genuine. He noted that ABC shows thrived on cultural diversity with such big-ticket hits as Greys Anatomy, Ugly Betty and Lost which all have racially-diverse casts.
“Racial and cultural diversity just made good business sense,” he noted.
ABC and Fil-Am leaders agreed that the best way to avoid a repetition of the Desperate Housewives flak was to put more Filipinos in its studios – not only as actors but also as writers, technicians, producers, directors, etc.
“Our long term goal is to have more presence both in front and behind the camera, and this is the kind of relationship we are nurturing with ABC,” Melegrito explained.
He said the opportunities can extend to the newsroom as well.
Outreach with Fil-Ams
The first outreach will be held at the Capitol Hilton in the District on April 24. But Melegrito is asking that those interested should e-mail their RSVPs before April 15 but will be accepted on a “first come, first served” basis. The venue can only accommodate 75 people.
This months outreach is expected to be graced by top ABC executives who include Mendez; Tim McNeal, vice president for talent development of Disney-ABC Television Group; Frank Gonzalez, director, talent development; and Tracie Waecker, senior recruiter-human resources, Disney-ABC Media Networks.
Similar activities are planned for New York and some West Coast cities.