Prince Philip cracks Filipino nurse joke

[Monseratto]

Saan yung mga balat-sibuyas...?

BBC News - Prince Philip cracks Filipino nurse joke

The Duke of Edinburgh told a Filipino nurse her country must be "half empty", because so many of her compatriots have come to the UK to work for the NHS.

He made the remark during a visit to Luton and Dunstable Hospital where he unveiled a £5.5m cardiac centre.

"The Philippines must be half empty - you're all here running the NHS," the prince told the nurse, who laughed.

A spokesperson for the hospital said the visit of the duke had been "hugely motivational".

The 91-year-old royal, who called himself "the world's most experienced curtain puller", was said to be in a "jovial" mood during the visit and asked when the hospital would get a helipad to save him a journey by car.

'Cosmopolitan town'
The hospital spokesperson would not comment on the duke's conversation with the nurse but said the hospital had not held a recent recruiting campaign in the Philippines, which had a population of 94.8 million in 2011.

"Luton is a very cosmopolitan town and the working staff at Luton and Dunstable Hospital reflects that," the spokesperson said.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council said 16,184 of the 670,000 nurses in the UK were from the Philippines.

The Duke of Edinburgh is well known for his outspoken and sometimes controversial comments.

During a state visit to China in 1986, he told a group of British students: "If you stay here much longer, you'll all be slitty-eyed".

In 1994 he asked an islander in the Cayman Islands: "Aren't most of you descended from pirates?"

Four years later, speaking to a student who had been trekking in Papua New Guinea, the duke said: "You managed not to get eaten, then?"

Responding to Tuesday's visit to Luton, Buckingham Palace said it would not comment on a private conversation.

[niky]

Heard about that on FB. Actually thought it was really funny, and a huge compliment to the Filipino nurses working in the UK. ;)

[ghosthunter]

I did not find anything offensive with the comment.

[lowslowbenz]

That is just normal Brit humour .. not a big issue for me.

[hein]

Protesta na mga Pinoys!!!!

[Retz]

Anong offensive sa sinabi ni Prince?

[Sweetlucious]

Anong offensive sa sinabi ni Prince?

Offensive yun sinabi!!! Di ko alam kung saan part, basta offensive yun. Di niya tayo pwedeng ganituhin, tayo lang pwede mang-asar. Walang ng iba.

[dr. d]

Protesta na mga Pinoys!!!!

gusto kong tikman! meron bang mabibili dito satin?

[holdencaulfield]

i don't care.

[champoy]

Ibig sabihin mababa ang sweldo sa pilipinas kaya sa united kingdom naghihimud ng bloody ass.

So earthlings wag kayo mapikon dahil totoo naman.