Ambassador Jose Cuisia

It’s one thing for locals to take Councilmember Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) to task for the foolish things he says, but ambassadors from foreign countries?

It was bound to happen, especially after Barry’s most recent comments targeting Filipino nurses at D.C. hospitals. Yesterday Filipino Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Cuisia released a strong statement condemning Barry for “deplorable…intolerant and narrow-minded” comments. Even worse, said Cuisia, Barry’s comment “fuels racism, discrimination, and violence.”

The full statement is below:

The remarks of District of Columbia Councilmember Marion Barry criticizing local hospitals for hiring Filipino nurses are deplorable. This is not the first time such intolerant and narrow-minded comments came from him. Just three weeks ago, he made the prejudiced observation that Asian-owned businesses were “dirty shops.”

From its silent beginnings, the Philippine nursing profession grew to become a major player in the global healthcare market when it became the biggest supplier of registered nurses due to the global nursing shortage. Filipino nurses are known to be competent, hardworking, caring, and possess good work ethic. These are some of the reasons why most patients prefer and trust them. Like many good citizens, they pay their taxes and contribute to the American economy.

Councilmember Barry’s penchant for blaming Asians, who only want to work for their American dream, fuels racism, discrimination, and violence. Such rhetoric does nothing but harm relations among community members, when the times call for developing relationships and finding solutions to common challenges. He owes Filipino nurses an apology for his recent tirade.