A group of Filipino journalists in New York became victims of anti-Asian hate crime while working on stories on similar experiences by other Filipinos in the United States, a Philippine diplomat reported on Friday.
Elmer Cato, Consul General of the Philippines in New York, said in a Twitter post that the incident happened on Thursday (US time).
"A few days after interviewing Filipino hate crime victims, a group of visiting journalists from Manila experienced anti-Asian hate themselves not just once but three times on Thursday," said Cato, who is himself a former journalist.
He, however, did not identify the Manila-based journalists, who became victims of "anti-Asian hate" on Thursday.
In August, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported 43 incidents of race-based violence and harassment and other criminal incidents involving Filipinos in areas under the jurisdiction of the country's consulate in New York.
Most cases, according to DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza, transpired in New York City, particularly in Manhattan and Queens.
Daza said the Philippine government, led by Cato, already raised this type of crime incidents with US authorities, which gave assurance that they were taking the matter "very seriously."