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When SMS jokes of an overly smart Inday (the Filipinos’ namesake for a domestic worker) began circulating, most Pinoys found it witty and even entertaining. But when British comedian Harry Enfield of British Broadcasting Company’s "Harry and Paul" show told a postman in a September 26 skit, that he is ordering his Filipino maid to mate with his friend Paul Whitehouse, Pinoys were far from laughing.

Filipinos from all over the globe, particularly the 200,000 strong Filipino community in the UK, were angered by the show and demanded an apology from the shows creators as well as the British government because of the "racist" content of the September 26 episode.

The "racist" portrayal of Filipino domestic helpers also led to some leaders of the community to put up an online petition protesting the show. The online petition gathered more than 2,000 supporters within three days. The BBC later apologized for the racial slur.

Last year, a scene in the ABC television hit series "Desperate Housewives" that put into question the credibility of medical education in the Philippines elicited angry remarks from Filipinos, and later on amassed thousands of signatures through an online petition.

The show’s creators apologized for the slur and promised to hire Filipino actors and introduce a Filipino character into the show.

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