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The Filipino community in London is set to launch "concerted efforts" against British government-owned British Broadcasting Corp (BBC) for its reportedly "racist and humiliating" portrayal of a Filipina domestic worker, a lawmaker said on Monday.

Batangas Rep. Hermilando Mandanas, head of the subcommittee on the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), said during the plenary debates on the proposed 2009 budget that Philippine Embassy representatives in the United Kingdom are already coordinating with the Filipino community there regarding their protest actions.

"The Philippine embassy, our representatives there, already have met with the Filipino community for concerted efforts versus the BBC such as a silent protest and a vigil right at the BBC," said Mandanas.

He added that an email campaign "condemning" the BBC and a demand for apology are likewise being circulated among the community.

The Philippine Embassy has sent letters of complaint to various UK government offices - including the UK regulatory industry, the mayor of London, and the BBC itself - while Philippine Ambassador to the UK Edgardo Espiritu is studying whether any legal action can be made, added Mandanas.

"Ambassador Espiritu is really very active in filing the complaint and studying whatever actions can be done," said the Batangas representative.

Mandanas made the statements in response to the inquiry of Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, who earlier during the day urged the DFA to demand an apology from the British government for the BBC skit portraying a Filipina domestic worker in a "humiliating" manner. The controversial skit, aired in the September 26 episode of "Harry and Paul," showed comedian Harry Enfield telling a postman that he is ordering his Filipino maid to mate with his friend Paul Whitehouse.

Hontiveros said the supposed young Filipina, who was wearing a grey uniform and an apron, was shown "gyrating and dancing lasciviously."

"He (Enfield) kept ordering the girl to gyrate and dance in front of Paul and even instructed her to hump him," Hontiveros said in a statement.

The lawmaker added that "when an indifferent Paul stood up to go inside the house, Harry scolded the Filipina girl, telling her to get out and just go. The scene closed with the postman sidling up to the Filipina, whispering to her as they walked off together."

Hontiveros said the humiliating portrayal of Filipina workers "promotes negative stereotypes that cultivate impunity among those who abuse Filipina workers abroad."

"By making a horrible scene of exploitation an object of ridicule, the show trivializes an act of abuse commonly experienced by Filipina workers abroad. It desensitizes its audience on human trafficking, an issue that merit global indignation," she said.

She added that making overseas Filipinas appear as submissive sex objects reinforces the notion that foreigners could easily hire small and sexy Filipina domestic helpers and turn them into sexual objects. - GMAnews.TV

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let's just wait and see what will happen next.

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In manila news last night, UK embassy in manila did not made an apology. The office praise the pilipinos but commented that it's still the right to express etc.... for the british TV program.

These british people should remember that a young pilipina won last years declaimation contest in London and no other than the buckingham palace gave the medal.

We should not be more sensitive on this issue, we can also make fun of the british citizens here in Manila, strolling british drunkards and drug addicts in Mabini,  many phedophiles looking for young boyz and some of them are squatting in luneta with no money for airplane ticket to get back to england. They have also swindler citizens roaming around here.

We should also remember these white race are the carrier of syphillis who brought it in Manila! Watta shame of what they called advance race!

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