Makers of the hit US television series 'Desperate Housewives'have apologized for a slur against Filipino medical workers that caused uproar here.

The apology was sent to Philippine broadcaster ABS-CBN's bureau in the United States and aired here Thursday by its cable news channel, ANC, following protests by the Manila government.

"The producers of the show and ABC studios offer our sincere apology for any offence caused by the brief reference in the season premier," ANC quoted the statement as saying.

"There was no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines," it said.

The apology was made a day after President Gloria Arroyo's office said it considered a portion of the dialogue in an episode aired last weekend as a "racial slur."



The episode showed actress Teri Hatcher, who plays Susan Mayer, asking during a medical consultation to check "those diplomas because I want to make sure that they're not from some med school in the Philippines."

An online petition calling on the ABC to issue an apology quickly spread through the large Filipino expatriate community in the US, many of them in the medical profession.

In Manila, Arroyo's chief aide, Eduardo Ermita said: "On the face, we can look at it as a racial slur."

"We are looked down upon too much, considering the number of our medical professionals in the US," Ermita said.

ABC said it remained committed to present "sensitive and respectful images of all communities" featured in its programs.

点击进入绝望主妇小组>>

真的要真么大动干戈么？点此发表你的意见>>

背景链接（源于：新华网）

美国热门电视连续剧《疯狂主妇》第四季目前正在美国播出，但剧中角色针对菲律宾医科学院的讽刺性调侃引起菲律宾人不满，菲多名高级官员已要求美剧制作方公开道歉。

据《菲律宾每日问询者报》４日报道，该剧于９月３０日播出的内容中出现这样一个场景：演员泰瑞·海切尔扮演的角色到一家诊所问诊，她贸然要求查看医师的文凭，并焦虑地说：“我只想确定这些文凭不是菲律宾医科学院颁发的。”

报道说，菲卫生部长费朗西斯科·杜克已起草文书，向《疯狂主妇》制作方表达菲律宾人对剧中有关“辱菲言论”的“强烈抗议”，并提出公开道歉的要求。菲驻洛杉矶总领事３日致电播放该剧的美国广播公司表示不满。菲政府执行部长爱德华多·埃尔米塔对媒体说，菲律宾人简直都被（美国人）“看扁了”。

医护人员近年来逐渐成长为菲律宾百万海外劳工中的中坚力量，菲籍护士尤以专业水准高、服务细致在许多国家享有很高声誉。《疯狂主妇》剧中出现这段有争议的言论后，不少菲律宾人在自己的博客上发表了义正词严的抗议。

菲律宾医学会还表示，他们会向美国联邦电信委员会和世界医学协会提出交涉，请求敦促美剧制作方更正诋毁性言论，消除不良影响。

美国连续剧《疯狂主妇》讲述５个现代家庭主妇的故事。据欧洲国际电视数据公司今年６月公布的在全球２５亿电视观众中进行的调查显示，该剧有７０２０万忠实观众，是２００６年全世界最受欢迎的电视剧之一。

更多影视学英语，点击进入影英学堂