In an article entitled Ampatuan clan the biggest winner in May 2010 elections, there was a reference to the “clan’s nation-wide, if not global, infamy.”
Well, it appears that the infamy is global, it has reached Hollywood and you know how pervasive the American entertainment culture can be.
If you’re a fan of NCIS: Los Angeles (Speedy and I are — I think LL Cool J is cute), you might have seen a recent episode when the team went after a suspect named Simon Amputuan, “a Filipino militant with ties to the Abu Sayyaf… they’ve been waging a bloody campaign of kidnappings, bombings and assassinations in their fight for an independent Muslim state in the Philippines…”
Changing the spelling of the surname is a legal strategy to avoid slander and attributing a sense of idealism and patriotism to the character veers away even more from the real-life Ampatuans now accused of the multiple murders. You know, just to “prove” that Simon Amputuan is indeed nothing but a fictional character.
But… whose legs are the NCIS producers pulling, right? We know a jab when we see one. Not that I’m complaining about this jab. In fact, I kinda like it except that I wished that “Simon Amputuan” had been painted as a member of a clan that has been “waging a bloody campaign of kidnappings, bombings and assassinations” in their fight for the preservation of their political dynasty rather then someone who’s almost sympathetic as a member of a cultural minority fighting for independence from a government that it sees as oppressive. That would have made the jab more daring. That would have been really ballsy.
But then again, the NCIS producers may have taken a cue from previous incidents when negative references to a Filipino or Filipinos resulted in international sensations. Yeah, yeah. I’m talking about Desperate Housewives and Jay Leno. So, you know, it’s safer to take a jab at a group that is widely perceived in a bad, bad way. Like Abu Sayyaf. That way, no one will complain and demand an apology which would be bad press for the show. Well, no one has complained about the “Simon Amputuan” character. I guess Filipinos who have seen that episode found the jab amusing if not downright hilarious. Or, maybe, they didn’t get the joke.
Aw, I missed this episode!
Though I agree they should have been more accurate with their description of the character. And they should have gotten a more Filipino-looking and speaking actor. He looks more like someone from Latin America. Just an observation.
The character was played by Burt Bulos. Based on his filmography, he appears to be of Asian descent.
They have had quite a few Filipino terrorists on NCIS. (We’re big fans, too!) The funniest one was this guy named Pinpin Pula (I mean honestly lol the name doesn’t inspire fear at all haha) and they even showed a Philippine passport while discussing the intel info they had
It was even funnier when the resident medical examiner said that “pinpin pula” meant “rice paddy dike”. LOL
I think we’re one season behind here in the Philippines…
I’m a fan of both NCIS and NCIS:LA. The episode with Pinpin Pula / Abog Galib was in season 3. That was the season ender. Burt Bulos also played the part of Abog Galib. The Ampatuan case was still in the news when that episode came out.
I just discovered that on Dream Satellite, NCIS (with Mark Harmon which I think is the original NCIS?) is aired on Solar TV, same slot as CSI yata or Justified. Kainis.
A dig , a joke , ballsy or not , sadly the Ampatuans and the massacre that occurred are a symptom not the cause of the malaise that afflicts The Philippines . That malaise tarnishes the image of the country abroad .It was reported here in Australia , was of interest for a few days , but as nothing was done the media and sadly the general population lost interest .its sad that there was more outrage about stupid comments about Filipinos on US television shows, that in my opinion are pretty light weight in content and importance, than there has been about the massacre and the lack of justice etc in the case by all levels of Filipino society . Even the comments here are more concerned with the actors used and the shows they appeared in .Will the new president make a difference , bring about change? One can only hope so.
We had been converts from CSI to NCIS. It seems NCIS is gaining more audiences as it is getting older. Despite her gothic trappings, Abby is an endearable character with mastery in computer programming and forensics. Teamed with a father figurehead like Ducky the chief medical examiner, it is fun to watch how the two spit out all the details to untangle the crime. They are very informative and funny that we can even eat desserts while Ducky is bloody serious showing why he could not find a bullet in the victim’s organs.
Aside from the crime, it is loaded with sexual innuendos which can easily be missed if one is not listening to the fast paced conversation. It is not as visual as the CSI Miami. Actually there is a lot of subtle flirtings and sparks in the conversation (Ziva and Tony or Jethro and Jenny). Ziva, the ex-Mossad is an excellent character fluent in various languages and can stop a person with just 3 fingers (on ones throat) or a witty response “is there a penalty for early withdrawal (obviously not talking of finance)”. But the way she move her brown eyes is incredibly sexier than the one she replaced Caitlin (james gf in dawson’s creek).
Its soundtrack is addictive like you can already hum while you hear the distinct piano pieces mixed with techno beats. It is still weird to know that while we are watching at home, most of the episodes are just done in less than 10 miles. While the scene is Washington, DC., its set is just across Magic Mountain (roller coaster) in Sta Clarita.
I hated it!
You know you like the show very much and then the director is dead, Abby cried, Ducky was stunned with 5 bodies, Ziva is termed and the team disbanded.
I did not see it coming so quick. I hated it.
This is even worst than what the production did for Grissom and Sara in CSI.
Oh well, it is like getting used to financial meltdown, worthless stocks, job losses and old friends gone.