Philippine Football Federation lodges complaint against Arnold Clavio
MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine
Football Federation (PFF) has lodged an official complaint against GMA 7
anchor Arnold Clavio following alleged “racial slurs” made during GMA's morning show Unang Hirit Tuesday, March 13.
In a letter addressed to GMA 7 President
& COO Gilberto R. Duavit Jr. the PFF asked GMA to launch an internal
investigation into the matter and asked that sanctions be filed against
Clavio. It called Clavio’s comments “racist, discriminatory, libelous
and malicious” and called on Clavio to issue a written apology.
“The unquantifiable damage and injury to the PFF and the Philippine Men's National Football Team have already been inflicted by the scurrilous and discriminatory words emanating from the mouth of your TV host Arnold Clavio.”
Clavio was the number one trending topic on Twitter Philippines from March 13 to 14 after public outrage ensued
on social media. Clavio has since issued a statement apologizing for
the remark. Clavio clarified that harm was not intended and that his
comments were in line with another issue, that of the sexual harassmenrt
complaint filed by Cristy Ramos, one he said needed to be watched
closely.
Mga igan, nakakalungkot na
may negatibong reaksyon ang naging pahayag ko tungkol sa Philippine
Azkals kaugnay ng sexual harassment complaint ni Ms. Cristy Ramos. Wala
po akong ganoong intensyon. Ang isyu po rito ay sexual harassment at
kung may nagamit man po akong mga salita na hindi angkop, nagpapakumbaba
po ako at humihingi ng pang-unawa. Dun naman po sa mga kasama kong
nanindigan laban sa sexual harassment, maraming salamat po. Seryoso pong
isyu ito na dapat bantayan.
Read the full statement below:
The PHILIPPINE FOOTBAIL FEDERAT]ON (PFF) would like to lodge a formal complaint with your organization for the racist, discriminatory, libelous and malicious statements of your Program Host, ARNOLD CLAVIO and his other co-hosts, during the nationwide broadcast of your News & Public Affairs Program "Unang Hirit" last 13 March 2012.
After making a news report on the Philippines vs. India match (March 11, 2012), Philippines vs. Tajikistan match scheduled on March 13, 2012, and a news report on how the Philippine National Football
Team (Men's) focus on their scheduled games
despite the sexual
harassment complaint filed by CRISTINA RAMOS against Philippine team players LEXTON MOY and ANGEL GUIRADO, the following statements, among others, were uttered by your host ARNOLD CLAVIO, thus:
Host Rhea Santos -'Kailangan masampulan eh..."
Host Arnold Clavio -"Kaya talagang ano na. Aral na sa inyo yan,
ang yayabang nyo akala nyo. Porke't dinadagsa kayo ng mga fans, ang gugugwapo nyo eh."
"Parang
God's gift to women"
"Alam mo lahat.. lahat nang... nakuwento nga ni Cristlna at nang dalawa nyang
kasama. Lahat qinawa para ipaalam na may babaeng papasok sa locker, ilang katok nga sila eh. Eh malapit na yung match eh. Kailangan ma-check na yung dalawang
koponan. Eh nauna yung Philippine team bago yung Malaysian... na team.
"Ngayon
nag sorry para sa isa daw nilang kasamahan. Saan ka nakakita ng Azkal na may suso? Wala naman akong.... anong cup B? Maybe a Cup B sa isang kasama?
"Palusot na lang..." "sana nag-sorry, sorry na lang talaga, diba? Parang..."
"Hindi
ko kayo ka-kultura,
Kasi wala dito (pointlng to his chest).,.. at walo dlto (pointing to his head).
"Hindi
naman kayo Pilipino. Nagpapanggap lang kayong kayumanggi. Hlndi kayo dito lumaki"...
"Mahirap
yun..... Insensitive."
"Para maging
aral,"
"Congratulations.
Kasi hiwalay naman ito sa ginagawa
nilang pakikipaglaban. So, good luck din sa inyong
susunod na laban para mapunta kayo sa Final 4 ha. Na bihira pong marating nang Pilipinas sa matagal na panahon."
"Alam
naman nila yung mga sexcapades nila sa isa't isa eh, di ba? Sino po nag- penicillin..
Alam naman nila yun."
"Akala
siguro lahat sila gusto silang matikman siguro... makasama...Diyos,
ko."
Your TV
Host ARNOLD CLAVIO’s declarations that the members of the Philippine (Men's) National Football Team "are not Filipinos" and "are only pretending to be Filipinos"
are not only libelous and defamatory to the good name and reputation of the PFF and the Filipinos players comprising the Men's National Team now playing with all their hearts for "flag and country" at the AFC Challenge
Cup in Kathmandu, Nepal. They are also verbal statements of a racist nature and constitute malicious,
contemptuous, discriminatory and derogatory remarks concerning race and origin that offend the dignity of the Filipino players and Filipinos who are similarly
situated.
ARNOLD CLAVIO has made those scathing and offensive remarks with reckless disregard of the truth or falsity of his statements. In association football, only citizens of the country can be a member of the Representative "A" Team of the country, i.e., its National Team. In making his scurrilous statements, CLAVIO made it appear that PFF has selected persons who are not Filipino citizens to be members of and play for the Philippine National Team. This subjects all Philippine National Teams (not only the Men's National Team) to doubts by international
organizations, spectators and opposing national teams as to the
Filipino citizenship, and therefore eligible, of the Philippine team players. It also puts the name and
reputation of the Philippines and the PFF in disrepute. CLAVIO obviously does not know (and he or your program staff did not care to check) that only Filipinos can
play in the Philippines National Football Team. Indeed, weeks prior to any international tournament a country has to submit to the organizer a list of its National Team players with proof of their citizenship or nationality (e.g. passports).
The members of the Philippine National Team now playing at Nepal are Filipinos just like your Unang Hirit hosts Arnold Clavio, Rhea Santos, Connie Sison and Lyn Ching Pascual. Some of the current members of the Philippine
Men's Football Team have either a Filipina mother or a Filipino father, thus qualifying them to be natural born Filipino citizens. One can notice the obvious discomfort of even CLAVIO's co-host Lyn Ching Pascual when he confidently uttered the words
"Hindi naman kayo Pilipino. Nagpapanggap Iang kayong
kayumanggi...."
ARNOLD
CLAVIO also discriminates against the Philippine National Team players who, for one reason or another, grew up or partly grew up outside the Philippines when he uttered the words "Hindi kayo dito lumaki". This
constitutes disparaging and demeaning remarks against Filipino children of Filipinos who are compelled
by circumstances to work and live abroad with their children His bias against Filipinos who grew up abroad is utterly shocking and is not expected to be blurted out by a TV host of your respected and reputable organization- Many Filipinos, including our own President Benigno s. Aquino, partly grew up abroad by force of circumstances. Are they less Filipino than those who grew up entirely in the Philippines?
ARNOLD
CLAVIO is also guilty of sexist remarks and sex-related obscene innuendos
against the Philippine National Team players when he uttered the words "AIam naman nila yung mga sexcapodes nilo sa isa't isa eh, di ba? Sino ba nag-penicillin... Alam naman
nila yun."....."Akalo
siguro lahat sila gusto silang matikman siguro--- makasama...Diyos ko." Added to that statement
is host Rhea Santos statements that " yung mgo babae...kasi porke guwapo... sikat...minsan
halos itapon na nila yung mga sarili doon sa mga lalaki" that operate to demean and disparage the Filipino women in general and the Filipino women supporters of the Philippine Men's National Team. It must be noted that your Unang Hirit program caters to all age groups.
After
uttering the above-stated libelous, racist and discriminatory remarks, and after obviously reading an idiot board or reminder from somebody (not covered by the camera), ARNOLD CLAVIO, congratulated the team and wish them luck on their next game so they can be in the Final 4, a situation which CLAVIO himself admitted is seldom
attained "'by the Philippines" Nonetheless, the
unquantifiable damage and injury to the PFF and the Philippine Men's National Football Team have already been inflicted by the scurrilous and
discriminatory words emanating from the mouth of your TV host ARNOLD CLAVIO.
As you are aware, the matter of sexual harassment complaint by Cristina Ramos against Philippine
players Lexton Moy and Angel
Guirado now pends before the PFF Disciplinary Committee which has the primary jurisdiction over the complaint. While your organization may report news concerning the matter, we and the public expect that no racist, discriminatory, sexist or disparaging remarks that offend the dignity of persons or organizations or maliciously defame persons or organizations would be made by your hosts and reporters.
We thus lodge this
complaint and protest with GMA NETWORK, INC. and demand that, (i) your organization impose, after requisite proceedings, the appropriate sanction on your TV host ARNOLD CLAVIO; (ii) your organization and/or ARNOLD CLAVIO rectify, among others, his discriminatory, racist and libelous assertions that members of the Philippine Men's National Football Team are not Filipinos and are only pretending to be Filipinos; (iii) your organization and/or ARNOLD CLAVIO issue a written
apology to PFF and the Philippine National Football Team (Men's) which should also be forthwith read and given prominence in your News & Public Affairs TV program "Unang Hirit".
We are thankful that in one way or another, your organization has helped in the promotion of football in the Philippines. We all know that encouraging the Filipino youth to engage in sports in general or play football
in particular contributes to nation building. We however strongly protest the above-stated statements of your Unang Hirit Hosts ARNOLD CLAVIO and RHEA SANTOS.
Very truly yours,
Mariano V.
Araneta Jr.
PFF President
Edwin B.
Gastanes
PFF Legal Counsel
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