MISUNDERSTANDING upon misunderstanding. That is how one might describe the ongoing debate in these columns on racial discrimination in Hong Kong.
Some of the most grave misunderstandings are about Philippine society. Most disconcerting are the stereotypes about the activities of Filipinas in Statue Square and the treatment of domestic help in the Philippines.
The goings-on at Statue Square are not at all in the vein of J. Ong's diatribe (South China Morning Post, December 17). As an observer who speaks fluent Tagalog, I have noticed that people there mostly talk about the same things as everybody else: their jobs, families, friends, shopping, church, etc. Those who gather in Statue Square do basically the same things as other people with their free time, except that they don't have the money to spend the day shopping like more affluent Hong Kong people.
Filipinos are a people that value togetherness. The throngs that fill Central on Sundays are proof of that. This leads me to a second major misconception I have noted. Generally speaking, Filipino employers do not make their helpers live in ''a hut at theback of their home''.
I've spent a lot of time enjoying Filipino hospitality, and what I have usually seen is families treating their help as one of the family. The norm that I have observed is children looking at the family's helper like a sister, or parents treating her like another child, even to the point of putting her through school.
Sure, there are many exceptions, nor is there any rule stating that helpers must be treated with such affection.
