According to a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official, 39 incidences of hate crime targeting Filipinos have been documented in the United States.
DFA Assistant Secretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Paul Raymund Cortes remarked at a press briefing that Philippine authorities are “extremely attentive” in distinguishing hate crimes from routine assaults.
“Sa pakikipagpulong namin [Based on our meeting] with the Philippine Consulate General Consulate in New York, there are about 38 or 39 documented cases,” he said.
Cortes did not specify when these attacks occurred. Still, there have been recent reports of assaults on Filipinos in the United States, including a 67-year-old Filipino woman who was assaulted over 100 times in New York.
He believes that an incident can only be classified as a hate crime if the assailant stated the victim’s country or race during the confrontation.
“Very careful ang konsulado at ang gobyerno to determine na itong mga krimen na ito ay hindi lang harassment kundi hate crime dahil tina-target yung pagka-Pilipino nila,” Cortes said.
39 hate crimes against Filipinos in US reported – DFA
(The consulate and the government are very careful to determine that these crimes are not just harassment but hate crimes because they target Filipinos.)
According to Cortes, as part of the procedure of documenting occurrences as hate crimes, personnel from the Philippine Consulate must report the incident to the local police.
He also stated that Philippine officials are holding self-defense webinars for Filipinos to teach them how to defend themselves against assault and increase awareness among Asian-American communities.
Filipinos can also get pepper spray from the Philippine Consulate General in New York, which they can use in the event of an attack.
“Kung may kababayan tayo na nakaranas ng ganito [For victims], all they have to do is not just approach the consulate but may mga local authorities po. Go to your local police. Malaki ho ang system ng Amerika pagdating sa [America has a system in] helping not only Asians but other nationalities as far as hate crimes are concerned,” the official said.
Visit our Facebook page for more news updates.