I saw this on Kuya Ederic’s post who saw this here.

So, this is about a People Asia article written by Malu Fernandez titled From Boracay to Greece. page1 page.

here are the key statements:

However I forgot that the hub was in Dubai and the majority of the OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) were stationed there. The duty-free shop was overrun with Filipino workers selling cell phones and perfume. Meanwhile, I wanted to slash my wrist at the thought of being trapped in a plane with all of them.

While I was on the plane (where the seats were so small I had bruises on my legs), my only consolation was the entertainment on the small flat screen in front of me. But it was busted, so I heaved a sigh, popped my sleeping pills and dozed off to the sounds of gum chewing and endless yelling of “HOY! Kumusta ka na? At taga sann ka? Domestic helper ka rin ba?” Translation: “Hey there? Where are you from? Are you a domestic helper as well?” I though I had died and God had sent me to my very own private hell.

On my way back, I had to bravely take the economy flight once more. This time I had already resigned myself to being trapped like a sardine in a sardine can with all these OFWs smelling of AXE and Charlie cologne while Jo Malone evaporated into thin air.

All in all, it’s been a pretty good summer. Jetting from the Aegean Sea to the Pacific may sound a bit pretentious until you wake up in economy class smelling like air freshener.

OMG, another one of those people.

What’s up with her. I mean, the article was written as if just to brag about her Addidas, her Havianas and her pedicured toes, and nobody really cares.

I am not really that good of a writer, or an editorial writer. I am not a good writer, period. But this article is… err… let’s just look at it this way – I didn’t even see the from Boracay to Greece part, just the flashy stuff.

Is that, err, responsible journalism? Or is that journalism at all?

Then, of course a lot of people responded to that article, so she wrote the following response

As I type this, I’d like you to know that it’s not about whining, complaining and bitching but just stating the facts. Just recently, I wrote a funny article in my magazine column and my friends thought it was hilarious. It was humorous and quite tongue-in-cheek, or at least I thought so, until the magazine got a few e-mails from people who didn’t get the meaning of my acerbic wit. The bottom line was just that I had offended the reader’s socioeconomic background. If any of these people actually read anything thicker then a magazine they would find it very funny. Most people don’t get the fact that they need bitches like me to shake up their world, otherwise their lives would be boring and mediocre. I obviously write for the a certain target audience and if what I write offends you, just stop reading.

Although it may sound elitist to you the fact is this country is built on the foundation of haves, have-nots and wannabes. One group will never get the culture of the other. Although I could mention that it is easier to understand someone who has a lower socioeconomic background that would entail a whole other page and frankly I don’t want to be someone to bridge the gap between socioeconomic classes. I leave that to the politicians in my family who believe they can actually help. Now I seriously ask you, am I being a diva or are people around me just lacking in common sense? Perhaps it’s a little of both!

You know, ma’am, there’s this thin line between being witty, writing the truth, and being offensive. Yours was definitely waaay too offensive.

You know, if I’m going to pretend to be a super rich person, still, that’s not funny. Ok, let me pretend that it’s funny. No I can’t.

Truth, you say? Here’s a little glimpse of reality. The last time I checked, Philippines is a third world country and people struggle to at least eat three times a day. And some families do this by sending a family member abroad, doing whatever they can – including being miles away from their loved ones – just so their families here in the Philippines could live a freaking decent life. Here’s your reality: there’s nothing f*cking funny about that.

I know, that there’s this socio-cultural barrier here in the country, but the most human thing to do is to at least respect those other people who can’t afford any of your flashy stuff.

Well, if you don’t know what’s the meaning of the ‘human thing to do’, i rest my case.

These are the times when you have to appreciate great column writers like Wilson Lee Flores, Celine Lopez and Jessica Zafra. They are witty, without even trying. And they make sense, too. Without the Addidas and Havianas and those pedicured toes.

Can you honestly spell SOCIAL CLIMBER?

I can now.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 17th, 2007 at 1:17 pm and is filed under Current Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.