At least 18 cases of hate crimes against Filipinos have been reported to the Philippine Consulate General in New York so far this year “By now, we should have 18 cases of anti-Asian incidents reported to the Consulate since the start of the year,” Philippine Consul General Elmer Cato said, in an interview over GMA’s news Double B TV. Cato made the disclosure following two recent abuses against Filipinos in the city.
“These have taken place already in the United States but here in New York, it is more prominent,” the Filipino diplomat said.
Report showed that in the past week, Filipino nurse Potri Ranka Manis suffered from bruises after distributing face masks to subway commuters while theater actor Miguel Braganza was mugged while on his way to his home. Both incidents happened in New York.
According to Cato, these two cases were isolated cases that happened in New York as gun violence incidents have been increasing amid the pandemic.
“’We’re saying that these are isolated cases — sporadic, unprovoked incidents — that take place in any city, any country, in the world where crime rate is a bit high,” Cato said.
“We can’t predict who will get hit,” he added.
After talking with the New York Police Department, Cato said police authorities observed that anti-Asian hate crime incidents died down prior to the assault against Braganza.
“’The anti-Asian American Hate Crime desk of NYPD said hate crimes were already decreasing so we were surprised that these cases happened,” he added.
To prevent these rights abuses, the consular officer added that they reiterated their call to police to increase police visibility where there are inhabitants of Filipinos and other Asians.
The Philippine Consulate also earlier reminded Filipinos in New York “to always be vigilant, when outside their residences especially during the evenings, in view of the rising criminality and violence in the city.”
The Philippine Consulate General indicated that the two assailants shouted racial slurs while Manis was being attacked.
Braganza was also assaulted by two individuals while on his way to his apartment in the Upper West Side.
Braganza was struck with a gun to the forehead in what police said was a failed robbery attempt.
Cato reminded Filipinos in the city to be alert, especially when taking mass transport, and call 911 or the Consulate immediately in case they encounter similar situations.
Deputy Speaker Zia Alonto Adiong of the Bangsamoro Parliament, in a statement on Friday, said the attack on his fellow Maranao “is a symptom of yet another disease called racism, and the pandemic has only made this deeply rooted problem of hate and discrimination more apparent”.
“Nurses with roots in the Philippines are especially vulnerable as they make up the largest share of migrant nurses in the United States,” he said.
