Push Admin

‘You look like a Filipino maid’: Chinese streaming platform apologizes, removes drama over controversial scene

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/sports/02/16/scene.jpg"/><figcaption>A scene from the Chinese drama ‘Make My Heart Smile’ has drawn criticism for its mention of ‘Filipino maid.’ <em>Screenshot</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — A Chinese streaming platform has apologized amid backlash to the mention of “Filipino maid” in one of its drama series, saying it has decided to pull the program from its library.</p><p>The Beijing-based iQIYI, whose international counterpart is headquartered in Singapore, debuted the 24-episode Chinese drama “Make My Heart Smile” on February 6.</p><p>One of its episodes included a scene where a female character tries on different outfits at a store, for the approval of a male character. The latter appears displeased with her choice of clothes, saying she looks “like an aunt,” and later, “like a Filipino maid.”</p><p>Filipino viewers of “Make My Heart Smile” were quick to pick up the dialogue, many of whom deemed it offensive and racist, going by tweets that have gone viral.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">this is not a mistranslation he said, &quot;像菲佣&quot; 佣 means servant/maid and Filipino is 菲律宾人 so &quot;菲佣&quot; means Filipino servant why some of the replies keep on excusing this racist drama <a href="https://t.co/vJP5SFW84P">pic.twitter.com/vJP5SFW84P</a> <a href="https://t.co/mlU3HPkSHx">https://t.co/mlU3HPkSHx</a></p>— ً (@riothyunsuk) <a href="https://twitter.com/riothyunsuk/status/1359107644653404164?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2021</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">as a filo, this is very offensive and disrespectful <a href="https://t.co/Gi7e0aOX2C">pic.twitter.com/Gi7e0aOX2C</a></p>— ًathea !? (@kthseokkity) <a href="https://twitter.com/kthseokkity/status/1359071403056615424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2021</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">excuse me a fucking what?? <a href="https://t.co/Fc7FGp8l3Q">pic.twitter.com/Fc7FGp8l3Q</a></p>— lyza (@cyjgyu) <a href="https://twitter.com/cyjgyu/status/1359048207645351936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2021</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Responding to criticisms against the series that circulated on social media, iQIYI Philippines apologized and acknowledged the scene as “offending.” It said the scene in question has been edited out of “Make My Heart Smile.”</p><p>“It has come to our attention that there is an offending scene in the show ‘Make my Heart Smile.’ This is not OK and we have edited the scene out. We are sorry,” it tweeted.</p><p>In a subsequent statement to ABS-CBN News on Tuesday, iQIYI announced that it has pulled the series altogether, saying it is “aware of the growing reactions to a scene on the show … that puts Filipina overseas workers in a negative light.”</p><p>“It is not our intention to offend and upset our Filipino subscribers and we are sorry. The show has been removed from the platform and we are continuously working towards making sure that incidents like this do not happen again.”</p><p>In 2019, some 2.2 million Filipinos worked overseas, according to latest <a href="https://psa.gov.ph/content/total-number-ofws-estimated-22-million">government statistics</a>. Fifty-six percent of OFWs logged during that period were female, while 44 percent were male.</p><div><strong>Related videos:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ys2vzg_bIVE?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DYgQ8GkOvfc?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6a8UyMydGDI?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>One of its episodes included a scene where a female character tries on different outfits at a store, for the approval of a male character. The latter appears displeased with her choice of clothes, saying she looks “like an aunt,” and later, “like a Filipino maid.”</p>

One of its episodes included a scene where a female character tries on different outfits at a store, for the approval of a male character. The latter appears displeased with her choice of clothes, saying she looks “like an aunt,” and later, “like a Filipino maid.”