Mala Malu, Nuestra Senora de la Matapobre

I disagree with Tingog.com and his otherwise worthy anti-Malu campaign, on one, single, point of principle: I’m not for firing people on the basis of what they write. So boycott as you please, but I don’t support having anyone fired. Why not take her travel photos and run a Mala Malu photo caption contest instead? Loads of fun and extremely educational.

Here, you can play with these charming photos and add your own captions:

Malamalu1

Malamalu2
Malamalu3

This all reminds me of something I noted on November 4, 2006, concerning the daughter of a Singaporean MP who snapped, “please get out of my elite uncaring face” in response to the angst of another Singaporean. Revisit muddynights and then see the odd joker and The Intelligent Singaporean, and then top off your visit to Tomorrow.

The Spanish have a maxim for everything, but for cultivated Filipinos of an older generation, one of their all-time favorites (my father used to quote it to me whenever he thought I was being rude) was:

Lo cortes no quita lo valiente.

It means: One’s valor is never diminished by one’s courtesy. But of Mala Malu and her que asco columns, I think I’ve found a word our elders would have thought fitted her to a “t”: a more cursi set of opinions would be hard to find.

Thanks to this great find, you don’t have to guess what our elders meant by using that word –cursi– to describe the Mala Malus of their generation:

In his book Cassell’s Colloquial Spanish, A. Bryson Gerrard explains his British take on the word:

“A colloquial but widely used adjective meaning something like ‘socially pretentious’; it describes people who give themselves the airs of a higher social class, non-U pretending to be U. When applied to things, e.g. furniture of clothes, it contains the idea of noveau-riche. High-class houses in the best Spanish tradition are furnished with an aristocratic simplicity and restraint, and the gaudy, ornate Empire-style furniture which you sometimes find in city apartments would be described as cursi. I once heard a Spaniard say of a friend’s tie iQué corbata más cursi! He was being facetious but i wondered what an Anglo-Saxon might have said … ‘What a fancy tie!’ … ‘What a pansy tie!’ … perhaps ‘What a ghastly tie! since it was not a compliment. Affectation, pretentiousness, excessive ornamentation are all involved.”

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Manuel L. Quezon III.

252 thoughts on “Mala Malu, Nuestra Senora de la Matapobre

  1. It was an insult directed to thousands of Filipinos… It was a direct insult to the sacrifices made by OFW…

    how can you say that she did not deserve to be fired?

    how can you say that mere playing with captions on her photos take but what she said?

    does she alone help our country? if it is only her damn wealth that runs the country then i wouldnt have the right to complain and be outraged…

    if i were to ask she should be stripped of her citizenship not just her job…

    probably you are like her… well off and have enough money to keep you happy…

    sad…

  2. For starters, she is not a afraid, she used her column and displayed her picture proud enough then did the bashing. It’s either she is into the whole freedom of speech thing or just plain ignorant and clueless. As a member of the media, whether legit or not, there is a level of political correctness and discretion you need to maintain as well. We all know the OFWs contribute an equivalent of 5% of the country’s total GDP. I think the group deserves a lot of respect.

    Really, she is entitled to her own opinion and she is not a coward, she did not hide her identity by using an avatar and screen name, and I think she’s ready for the backlash and for all we know, this might all be intentional, you know naman Pinoys, kahit anung paraan basta mapagusapan okay lang or she’s just really clueless.

    Anyway, my advice to the defenders of the OFWs, stop focusing on the obvious, of her being over weight, that is so childish and we do that ourselves all the time too, every now and then you read a comment about a Binibining Pilipinas bound to Miss Universe or Miss World saying “mukhang katulong naman iyan, wala na bang iba?” or “mukha siyang yaya ng ibang candidates! mukha siyang domestic helper!” these comments do not make us any different from her. I am sure this Malu is not even reading all this suff so just email her publisher and editor. Who proof-reads her work anyway? Sabi nga sa ibang blog, she spelled her Marc Jabocs Mark Jacobs, she called Jo Malone a HE, and spelled Annick Goutal Annik with a sigle ‘n’. So next time you bitch Miss Fernandez, do it right otherwise, you look trying hard.

    And no, I don’t hate you for name dropping or your jetset lifestyle. If you have it, flaunt it, when you are earning the money, you have every right however you spend it. I hate you for hating on the OFWs, they can afford expensive cologne and trips around the world too, you know? Just leave the OFWs alone.

    Round Trip ticket to Greece on Coach Class, $1600.00
    Dinner at Ruby Thuesdays, $25
    Jo Malone perfume, $35
    Real Class and substance, priceless!

    For everything else there’s Master Card, unfortunately, it can’t buy you respect and class. Sorry Miss Malu Fernandez, have a good life.

  3. Jeg, part which you say becomes ‘iffy’ – that spells instances when what we call speech crosses the line and incurs punishment. Like I said, free speech is protected, but when it crosses certain limits, it becomes punishable. The Revised Penal Code of the Philippines provisions for slander, seditious statements and libel are examples of instances when the law intervenes.

    You ask: –

    “Are you saying these types of speeches should be stopped? Bigots should be muzzled? ‘Defamers’ should be silenced? Who gets to determine what defamation is?”

    No, I’m not saying that. I’m saying there are times when speech becomes slanderous, seditious and libelous – and when it does, the writer/utterer loses the protection of free speech, and is subject to Philippine law.

    Hope that’s clear enough.

  4. BrianB: While there is no doubt public opinion is easily swayed one way or the other, recent memory will not provide similar instances of this magnitude.

    It is unfortunate she chose to denigrate the OFW. Six degrees of OFW will find every Filipino has some connection, whether familial or through a social network, to another Filipino working abroad to provide for her/his family.

    The reason why people are so affected by this particular writer is because no other haughty society writer has dared write to mock the one Filipino phenomenon to which most Filipinos, if not all, have emotional or financial stakes. Whether there is actual merit to the veracity of her claims is no longer relevant; she has stepped on the hopes and dreams of the Filipino at large.

    Only time will tell if the damage to her and her career is irreparable. I am inclined to believe it is.

  5. feeling ko tlga she wrote it para mapagusapan sya.

    now she’s in the limelight.

    she must have sought it so much that she’s willing to do anything to be under it.

  6. mlq3, from alfonso collado’s response, you can see that if and when our Bastille moment arrives, you’re one of those who will be the potential victims of our local Robespierres ‘Terror’, which will be kind of ironic since you’ve been accused (without basis IMHO) of being a Jacobin yourself.

  7. As a Jacobin or a victim of the Terror? I’m in Singapore but my parents are in Manila so i’m also not that keen on a ‘Bastille moment’ and the chaos that might come with it.

  8. cvj,

    I don’t like the word “enlightened.” It presupposes the others are in the dark. That word is elitist in itself.

  9. no wonder she bruised her legs in the standard airplane seat–she’s fat! a fat ‘b-i-t-c-h’ and a virtual unknown pretending to be an arbiter of good taste and the finer things in life… pathetic, isn’t she? perhaps if she’d heard of bariatric surgery she could have altogether avoided getting those embarrassing bruises on her overweight legs.

    too, if she lives her life with a little bit more compassion for others, people wouldn’t focus so much on her ugly bulk. most socialites we know aren’t bitches, or at least they don’t go around recklessly writing about their bitchy thoughts in a publication. discretion is the mark of the truly well heeled.

    the definitive new york socialite brooke astor, who died earlier this month, spent four decades of her life caring for the needy. she traveled very stylishly and partied relentlessly, yet she constantly rallied those in her ultra loaded circle to donate to charity, to care for the poor. ‘money is like manure, it has to be spread around,’ she said. in the end, she gave away to the underprivileged close to 200 million dollars through the vincent astor foundation. now, that’s a true social diva!

    as for the unremorseful malu fernandez, the two-bit, obese writer who proudly calls herself a ‘divalicious babe’, she’d be lucky she gets cast even as an extra when ru paul meets the hog in a sequel to that pig movie.

  10. Sorry my dear piggy Malu, you are the PAIN IN THE BUTTs…for OFWs….I am hoping that you will consider everything, every angle of your articles….have someone to read it and ask their opinions before you go on publishing …just to beat the deadline….To the publisher, have brains naman,…read first the articles before you proceed …. think about future responsibilities rather…than thinking about MONEY!…Hahaha bastards! Shame on you!

  11. well, as with all races and cultures, di talaga maiiwasan na may mga “maamoy”

    the issue here is not the aroma, but the way miss fernandez wrote her article.

    theres a world of difference between being tactfully honest, and being downright obnoxious.

    miss fernandez belongs to the latter category, which earned her the ire of her countrymen

    she made a sweeping generalization, a fatal error on her part.

    still, imho, she deserves all this hate for being such an elitist self-proclaimed “diva”

    meh… IMHO, on the flipside

    People-Asia Magazine, and The Manila Standard are not popular publications…

    conspiracy theory angle: Shock journalism for free publicity for increased circulation?

  12. If I were her, I would worry about my safety on international flights or areas where there are overseas Filipinos, not just OFW’s. It’s always dangerous to upset anonymous groups of people. Malou tries to pretend she’s upper class when she can only afford “discounted” economy and even more likely a complimentary promo ticket from Emirates. If I were her I would worry that my face is now public, people may just spit at her, put unsavory substances in her food, or “unintentionally” hit her. She will not be safe on cruise ships, airlines, hotels and restaurants. I remember an infamous lawyer during the Erap trial who had people spit in his face or spill hot coffee on him while he was sipping coffee in Starbucks. Another waiter at a 5 star hotel confessed to putting phlegm on top of this lawyer’s mashed potatoes before covering it with a layer of gravy. Another pretentious fellow was brained from behind with a shovel while traveling abroad. She’ll now need a first class bodyguard, because one of these days someone might just throw battery acid in her face or put a bullet in her 3rd cervical vertebrae and paralyze her from neck down. I really pity anyone who looks like her who might become collateral damage.

  13. puta yang baboy na yan parang walang pinag aralan puta hampas lupa kasi social climber bitch puta kaw artista ur ass bitch puta na baboy ka resign ka na wawa naman puta kasi pig

  14. this incident simply reflects our society right now.
    it just shows how the “rich” and the “elite” see the poor, or simply those who are not like them. i really do not want to generalize, but still, there are people – especially the pseudo-rich folks, in this country who see themselves as gods and see others as nothing but scum on their toes.

    it’s sad but it’s true.

    as long as there are a few who enjoy their cups of starbucks coffee every morning, or those who celebrate the opening of a gucci or a prada outlet in the city, while there are many who suffer just to have a little something for their grumbling stomachs and those who die of hunger and cold just by trying to survive in this jungle, this country will never learn.

    let this be a wake up call for all of us. stop the hatred now. let us move on and see the real picture.

  15. Give the poor woman a break. She HAD to fly to get to Greece. Cruise ships wouldn’t take her since she ate all the food at the buffet line on her last cruise.

  16. MALU FERNANDEZ STORY

    Let us send our feedback to the Manila Standard editor on the ff URL:
    http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=contact_us

    Let’s make Manila Standard Editors/Publisher responsible for publishing the story without giving thought to the consequences of it. OFWs brought home US$ 12 BILLION last year to make the Philippine economy sane. She’s quite oblivious to this simple fact, and the fact that the OFWs do not deserve this kind of media-sponsored slander.

    It’s not enough for her just to resign. Pwede naman sya i-reinstate pag malamig na issue sa December ah. Dapat she should write public apology as her “Mi Ultimo Adios” on Manila Standard and People Asia, plus apology over a press conference and prime-time TV news over ABS-CBN and GMA.

    Also, to make amends, she should establish a foundation seeking welfare for all OFWs, organize a monitoring team to monitor PEOA and OWWA disbursements and program implementation, monitor all embassies extension work, monitor and file charges against those who committed atrocities to OFWs, take to task all illegal recruiters, lastly donate na rin sya marami branded perfumes and LV bags to all OFW na konti or walang maipasalubong pag-uwi…

  17. Pleaseee…..
    Stop maligning that creature named Malu. We should be celebrating because she is the first pig clone that can read and write. Another milestone in our Philippines swine industry. So be kind to animals, lets just reproduce her photos and be made part of our nursery coloring books in gratitude to her full transformation from a high breed pig to a not so human form.

  18. MALU FERNANDEZ: TALK OF THE YEAR (BIGLANG SIKAT)

    I’m sure all docu-tv series (Correspondents, Probe, SOCO este…bantay bata) even ariel and maverick ay magkukumahog ma-interview sya or run a story on her, pam-pataas ng rating. but i doubt that these media outfits will be balanced enough para tirahin kapwa nila media person.

    AS A CONSEQUENCE MALU WONT BE ABLE TO:

    1. RIDE THE PLANE
    kawawa naman sya, isang taon syang di makakasakay sa ano mang eroplano domestic or international man, baga magulpi sya kasi her pictures are all over the Internet at lahat ng ating mahal na OFWs ay sumasakay everyday to almost all of domestic and foreign flights…

    2. GO TO THE MALLS
    pano sya pupunta ng MALL? Shangrila Mall, Powerplant, The Block, Podium at iba pang sosyal na Malls? marami ring OFWs ang ipinapasayal mga families nila sa malls na to. mapapadeliver na lang sya ng perfume at LV bags? Or sa tutuban sya at divisoria mamimili with all the disguise…

    3. GO TO THE SOSYAL NA RESTAURANTS, RESTOBAR, EASTWOOD, EMBASSY BAR, at lahat ng sosyal na BARs
    Madali syang makikila ng mga OFW, kamag-anak ng OFW, at mga totoong sosyal at mayayaman na tao na may hinanakit sa mga OFWs

    4. HOTELS, RESORTS, BAHAY BAKASYUNAN, ETC.
    kasi nakapaskil mukha nya sa mga magazine, headline ng dyaryo, at mga OFW na naka check-in sa mga hotels, kawawa sya.

    5. DRIVE-THRU NG MCDO, JOLIBEE, ETC.
    karamihan ng crew sa drive-thru ay former OFWs at may kamag-anak na OFW, madali rin syang makikilala

    6. BELO MEDICAL GROUP, CALAYANS, etc
    magagalit sa kanya mga crew at staff ng mga magagaling na skilled worker na to, baka laitin din sila netong MALU na to. karamihan dito may mga kamag anak na OFW baka di nya alam.

    7. SALON DE MANILA, BASEMENT, FRANK PROVST, BRUNO’S
    most of the crew here may kamag-anak din na OFW

    8. FITNESS FIRST, GOLD’S GYM, ETC
    oh my… kakawawain sya dito ng mga pumupunta sa gym, nabasa na kasi nila lahat ng blogs…

    San kaya sya pwede pumunta, eh halos lahat ng pinoy sa pinas ay may kamag-anak at kakilalang OFWs.

    KAWAWA MALU FERNANDEZ lumiit mundo nya, para syang NABARTOLINA.

    LETS JUST HOPE AYUSIN NYA NA BUHAY NYA!

  19. MALU FERNANDEZ –>> AYAW PANG I-HEADLINE NG GMA AT INQUIRER

    BA’T KAYA ANG TAGAL ILAGAY SA HEADLINE OR BREAKING NEWS YONG PAG RESIGN NI MALU FERNANDEZ SA

    INQUIRER.NET AND GMANEWS.TV?

    ABS-CBNNEWS.COM LANG MAY CARRY NG STORY NA TO…

    BALANCED NEWS FEARLESS VIEWS BA? OR TAKOT SILANG TIRAHIN KAPWA NILA MEDIA?

    ALIN IMPORTANTE? THIS IRRESPONSABLE MEDIA PERSONALITY OR OFWS?

    PAKISABI LANG SA INQUIRER, GMA, QTV, ABC5, MANILA STANDARD NA I-HEADLINE NILA STORY SA MALU FERNANDEZ DEBACLE!!!

  20. Ms. Malu should look at herself in the mirror before she starts talking or writing disparagingly about other people, especially Filipinos like her. She reminds me of Miss Piggy, with all her accessories and whatnots. I guess Miss Piggy is her idol and that’s why she strives so hard to look like her. No amount of jewelry, cologne, designer bags and clothes will hide the fact that she is a pig impersonating as a human being!!! LOL!

  21. She has resigned, I think that is enough. Let’s give this a rest. Yes she said something agains the OFWs but that hasn’t caused us to lose anything, life will move on and OFWs will continue to help the Philippine Economy, whereas Malu has singlehandly ruined (I hope) her reputation and lost her job over this. She had displayed her cluelessness, bigorty, indefference, arogance, she had showed no class, and now Filipinos all over the world will know who she is/was. And if we will continue to bash her behind our computer, then that doesn’t make us any different from her.

    Anyway, is this really her?http://www.geocities.com/fernandez_malu/ why, she couldn’t afford a quarter page on Manila Standard Today? People Asia? Inquirer? even Abante Tonite?

  22. Well, her own snotty and boorish attitude means she can no longer afford to go to divisoria, ukay-ukay, or even the d’mall in her precious boracay.

    At the same time, she cannot afford to be seen eating in our favorite fast food chains like Jollibee since she will be chastised for not practicing what she preaches (in this case, maintaining a high society profile). She would now have to start eating in hotels and other high-priced restaurants.

    Ironically though, I’m certain that a significant number of members in the high society club would also chastise her if seen in the high class places (assuming she can maintain affording it) for putting them in a bad light and now being stereotyped by the masses.

    Bottom line: she cannot afford to show her face anywhere in public and no amount (or even a 17-kg’s worth) of make up can make her hide it.

  23. Now, to add some humorous contributions on her picture comments/ captions:

    Picture 1: Can’t believe she never even attempted to hide that pata-like arm behind any of the guys beside her.

    Picture 2: What the hell was her left hand doing? Pressing her “aprador” like flabs?

    Picture 3: Her flat nose (which most of us Filipinos have) probably can’t hold the weight if those Paris Hilton imitation shades.

    It would probably be different if she looked like a Gretchen Barretto, but with looks that even a serial rapist detained in prison for 20 years wouldn’t go for, she was sharpening the axe that is now being called to use by the public to chop off her head!

  24. My simple proposal: If you happen to sit beside that bitch, just stand up and walk away. We suggest to give her this parting shot: “Sorry we cannot sit with you. We are hoi polloi.”

  25. I just want to share below e-mail as responded to Malu Fernandez article.

    Thnaks

    Dear. Malu Fernandez

    FIRST OF ALL, How nouveau riche can one get? Did you marry rich? Did you suddenly come in to money? Your blatant displays of your ‘luxuries’ and ‘wealth’ and your comfort with using the word ‘elitist’ to describe yourself alongside the fact that you had to reference to ‘politicians in your family’ show that even if you did come from money, you certainly have no class.

    You also seem to need to name-drop in every article that you write.

    It really gets to me that you should complain about the coach seats on your Emirates flight. Honey, they aint small… YOU’RE FAT. Spare yourself some doughnuts and maybe your travels will be more comfortable… coach, or not.

    MOST IMPORTANTLY. That you would put down OFW’s (Overseas Filipino Workers) is really DISGUSTING. It makes you sound more vile than what you described as the scent of their ‘AXE and Charlie cologne’ while your ‘Jo Malone melted into thin air’. Honey, without that perfume, you want to know what you smell like? Like a fat Filipino woman. The smell is probably more putrid than the smell of those OFW’s. Cause they sweat honest, hard-working sweat. The kind of sweat that keeps the Filipino economy going. They’re fucking brave. They’ve seen more than you, felt more than you, and fought more than you. You’re just a coddled fat Filipino woman, under all of that cologne, and that branded clothing that makes you feel more important than them.

    It sounds to me like you get to fly Business Class when you travel for work, but when you had to pay for your own travels, coach was more affordable. You tried to hide this by grandiose references to you perfume and your designer wear, didn’t you? Tsk tsk…

    You made some mention of having 17kg’s of make-up in your hand-carry. All the make-up and adornments in the world can’t hide how ugly you are inside. You aint that good-looking either, hon. Go to the gym, eat some fruits. You wrote that you wanted to slit your wrists because you were stuck in coach with all the OFW’s. I am MOVED every time I am on a flight with OFW’s. I am reminded of their resilience. Of how hard they work, and how they keep the Philippines going. The economy relies on their bravery. You should have slit your wrists, hon. And you are going to hell if you don’t change the way you think. Think of sitting in coach, imagining your personal hell as a personal foreshadowing.

    I have lived in the Philippines, and I have also traveled the world. I’ve probably been to as many if not more places than you, seen more things than you, so maybe despite all of this money you seem to need to brandish and the places you have been to, you’re just an ignorant. This coming from a 20 year old girl.

    You’re act isn’t classy. You’re not pretentious. You’re just some stupid woman, living in a third world country, thinking that because you jetted off to Greece and you wear Jo Malone perfume, you are suddenly something.

    Take this from someone with the same ‘socio-economic background’ as you, bitch. What a pitiful excuse.

    I also happen to read things ‘thicker than magazines’, I go to University in London where I will finish with an Honors Bachelors Degree in May. I have a 1 year Marketing Economics degree from a business school in Oslo, and I graduated with an International Baccalaureate Diploma at age 17, if you were wondering. So no fucking excuses.

    You could do so much more than you think, yet you choose to act like a proper twat. The kind of twat that people with some brains laugh at, the world over. Think of this as some more exposure.

    I am ashamed of people like you.

    OFW’S all over the world, working their tits off, deserve a public apology.

    Ingrid Holm

  26. LOOK AT YOURSELF MISS PIGGY…NAKAKAHIYA KA…LECHE KA DAPAT NASA IMBORNAL KA…NAKAKADIRI..KNOW WHAT NAHIHIYA AKO MAKITABI SA IYO..OINK OINK…YUCKKKKK

  27. Issuing a public apology AND resigning from both the Manila Standard and People Asia in the same day? Whoa… either she truly realized her folly and is genuinely repentant (something i want to believe in) or her publishers pushed her to do all these even if she refused to (something i’m more inclined to believe).

    But that’s just me.

  28. Well, Mr Q, I just got wind of this controversy: my daughter told me the story, and we had a good laugh over it.

    There’s a saying that goes “Ang asar, talo”. People are overreacting, spending a lot of hate energy on one woman whose circumstances belie the sincerity of her writing (which therefore means she most likely didn’t quite mean what she said). What does it profit us if we all descend on her like a lynch mob and get her to quit her job?

    Are we any different from the persona she tries to project when we insult her for her looks, her weight, or personality?

    And if we rush to defend our countrymen, not on the basis of whether their observed behavior were acceptable or not, but on the basis of their being our modern-day heroes, are we not, in fact, saying that their behavior is intolerable if not for their exalted status?

    An unhysterical reader will sense the irony of the trying-hard socialite persona riding coach with the “masa” she supposedly disdains. By itself, it’s good for a laugh, but for the grain of truth it contains.

    Fact is, anyone who has traveled with a planeful of OFW’s will tell you how we could use a bit more courtesy and sensitivity to other people who might want to get a shut-eye or some quiet time. I myself get depressed when our kababayan’s loudly, and with a lot of pride, compare among themselves who has the kinder or better “amo” (a word I don’t even allow my househelp to use, when I can get one), or whose foreign husband or kalive-in provides more for the family in the province. Worse, one can get some strange looks for not wearing any jewelry. I know I did.

    No, Sir, it’s not an ordeal one would wish on herself.

    As for the Axe, Charlie, and Jo Malone portion of her article, are Axe and Charlie too bad smelling for people to rise in indignation at the implication? I’ve heard worse things from our kababayans about how foreigners smell. What, it’s ok for us to make fun of other peoples’ scents, but not ok to be on the receiving end? Besides, that Malu admitted her Jo Malone evaporated into thin air is also an admission that it probably was not much good.

    To my angry kababayans, let the woman be. She’s laughing at herself. That she’s laughing at us, too, is just an unfortunate side effect.

    Ang asar, talo.

  29. There are a lot of people like her (more than we think, really), with the same sort of opinions. She just happened to have a column. Dangerous combination. Truly a “Toink!” moment. This is coming from a former OFW’s daughter.

  30. Ang tao ay may puso ang saging meron din.
    Yang si MF ay parang saging, SAGING! SAGGING!

    Walang pakiramdam!

    ‘Pabilog ng pabilog pahaba ng pahaba’

    Firing her unrepentant is nothing. Public apology is enough to heal the wounds and brings her back to dubai once more with a peace of mind.

    MF just imagine people of the philippines, dubai and other countries with OFW are up against you.

    You need to be humble for you not to tumble!

    Just my many cents!

  31. To Lyn D

    Using your argument, there won’t be any problem, I suppose, if she was just recounting a story to somebody or writing a diary. The problem was she was writing for a publication and she even made a response through a broadsheet.

    The first point is media and nation-building. As part of the media, Ms. Fernandez has a responsibility. Using the same circumstances that she used, a responsible journalist (and other types of people who write for a worthy publication), would have done it constructively. That would have been much nicer even if she injected some really nasty remarks along the way. After all,that Pinoys can be rowdy aboard a plane is a given. I am not even questioning the validity of the circumstances, but the intent of the article in the sphere of responsible journalism.

    It is true that Pinoys can be very sensitive about smell. Heck, I study in a foreign country too. And the smell of other nationalities can really get unbearable, at times. But, does it prevent me from talking to my classmates? Do I judge them based on the smell coming from their armpits? No, because, at the end of the day, we are all human beings, regardless of who we are, what smell, which country, which class.

    Which brings me to the second reason of my indignation against Ms. Fernandez’s article. It might be that Charlie and Axe are stinky, but, it should not be the barometer from which she should judge OFW’s worth as human beings. She even went as far as to look down on them because they are OFWs, because of their occupation. That our OFWs have their shortcomings is beside the point. Of course, we all know that. The thing is she was coming from a point of view that she is better because she happens to be upper class.

    Which brings me to the third reason why I am incensed by the article of Fernandez. Because in a modern world where globalization is making a headway, where our neighbors are improving in bounds and leaps and leaving our country behind, such a backward, feudal thinking still exists, such reasoning can pass the muster of a broadsheet’s editor. We have not made progress in our thinking. Throughout the history of the Philippines, the upper class has done nothing for the good of the country and has looked down on the masa. We have not learned our lessons! Those who don’t learn from their past are bound to repeat it. Yet again, through Malu.

  32. Mala malu did it!

    Now she is a very good contender to the title: “Person of the Year-2007”.

    I remember my parents saying: “Everytime you speak, your mind is on parade!” I think Mala malu wasn’t raised very well. If she was, she wouldn’t have made those remarks and in print.

    Instead of anger, let her have pity, for she deserves it. Pity she doesn’t know how to be human in this world!
    Madaling maging tao (if one can call her that; Mahirap magpakatao.

  33. From now on I will not call my sister a pig anymore. Her new title is an Ambassador of a repented heart.

    I hope she meant it truthfully in her heart because if she didn’t learned the lesson, she is doomed to repeat it.

  34. Dear Jowil,

    Not to pick an argument against anyone, but here’s what I have to say.

    1. To me, Malu is not practicing journalism in the strictest terms — I hardly think her trip is news. She’s doing creative writing. Whether she’s good at it or not, I wouldn’t hazard an opinion.

    2. Regarding nation-building as part of the responsibility of media, maybe we should put to task at least one major daily that cleverly (and insidiously) slant their stories with the (apparent) intent to sow intrigues. Sad, but these are hot selling newspapers. I agree, though, that this is another story altogether.

    3. Axe and Charlie are not stinky. They just happen to be popular (and old). Harhar! Just like the perfume I use, except it’s just old.

    4. Malu Fernandez, whom I don’t know from Eve, is not necessarily upperclass. She gets to travel as part of her job. For all you know, you’ve been deceived by her (creative) writing, in which case, I think she might be good at it, after all.

    5. Jowil, you must understand, the upper class own industry, the middle class manage it, and the masa make it run. You can give all the money to the masa, and there wouldn’t ever be enough to run the economy. The upper class concentrate the wealth to achieve economies of scale in industry. People talk or sing about inverting the “tatsulok”. But remember, if you do that, assuming you can do it, the inverted triangle collapses into a flatline (and I stake my claim to this original hyperbolic metaphor :)).

    Cheers,

    Lyn

  35. Excerpt from Rina Jimenez-David’s column AT LARGE in Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI-08/24/2007).

    http://opinion.inquirer.net/columnist/?colid=996

    Friends in an e-group are up in arms (or rather, fingers flying over keyboards) over the articles and columns of a self-proclaimed lifestyle diva who managed to insult in one fell swoop: overseas Filipino workers, a foreign airline, certain brands of colognes, the sands of Boracay, as well as her critics.

    Are those who have taken umbrage at her uppity observations merely suffering from a shortage of humor, not to say irony? Or is she indeed guilty of fostering class strife with her sweeping dismissal of Filipinos who happen to work abroad?

    I think she was merely trying to be clever, catering to her so-called “audience” by playing on their shared biases against working class Filipinos. Her article was what we would call a “cheap shot,” cheap because it is easy to hurl insults at people who cannot defend themselves, or who you would not, after all, brush elbows with at cocktails. Unless, that is, they were the waiters. Be warned: You know how waiters can be when they want to get back at “second-rate, trying-hard, copycat” diva wannabes.

  36. whatever happened to command responsibility in the business of putting out a paper/magazine?

    along with malu’s, editors’ heads must roll at standard and people asia.

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