PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL

NEW YORK – The 67-year-old Filipino woman who was seriously injured after she was brutally assaulted in an anti-Asian hate incident in New York is in stable condition and could be discharged from the hospital anytime, the Philippine Consulate General in New York said on Tuesday.

Consul General Elmer G. Cato said the Consulate was informed of this development by the family of the victim, a dual citizen from the Ilocos Region, who sustained serious injuries to the head and face after she was savagely attacked inside her apartment building in Yonkers, on Friday.

“We have reached out to the family of our kababayan and assured them that we will assist in whatever way we could,” the Consul General said.

On Tuesday, Consul General Cato joined leaders of the Asian-American Community and local elected officials in a press conference outside the Yonkers City Hall where they expressed their outrage over the incident and called on authorities to do more to stem the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes.

Those present included leaders of the Asian-American Federation, the Asian-American Democratic Committee, and local officials led by Congressman Jamaal Bowman and Yonkers Mayor Michael Spano.

“We know authorities are doing their best to make the streets safe again but we also understand they could not be everywhere,” Consul General Cato said. “But we do hope that authorities exert more efforts to remove violent and dangerous people off the streets and make everyone—not just Filipinos or other members of the Asian-American Community—feel safe again.”

According to him, most of the incidents were perpetrated against the elderly and vulnerable by homeless individuals with criminal records or mental health problems.

The Consulate has recorded 26 cases involving violent attacks and other incidents against Filipinos since last year when a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes and other incidents was noted.

“We are convinced there are more but these are unreported,” Consul General Cato said.

Consul General Cato said the incident on Friday was the third in two days involving members of the Filipino-American Community. A day before two elderly Filipino women were injured after they were shoved by unidentified individuals in two separate incidents in Queens.

“The incident in Yonkers is the second in our community where elderly victims were followed and assaulted inside their apartment buildings,” Consul General Cato said, referring to last year’s vicious attack in Sunnyside, Queens, that left a 72-year-old Filipino woman, seriously injured. END