A Tight Hug And Support To Dindi Gallardo

Last Saturday morning, I had a talk with my mum and my sister Macy over breakfast and out of nowhere, I asked if my mum remembers Dindi Gallardo. My mum has admired Dindi's grace and beauty after seeing her win the title Binibining Pilipinas - Universe in 1993, but was saddened when Dindi left showbiz and settled somewhere for good.

Photo by Elton Lugay

So I told my mum what was the fuzz and buzz about her these days and my mum was teary-eyed after reading all of it from my laptop.

Last October 10, news were all over about the Filipina beauty queen/actress Joanna Gallardo-Mills (locally known as Dindi Gallardo) who filed a lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court againts The Dark Knight creator Frank Miller (whose 1986 Batman comic series “The Dark Knight Returns” is considered revolutionary) and his girlfriend, Kimberly Cox - where as per lawsuit smeared Dindi's work area with feces, destroyed her printer with a hammer, threw phones at her, and even left a used feminine hygiene pad by her desk. 

The suit says Dindi went to work for Miller as an executive coordinator in November 2008 and it wasn't long before there were problems with Miller's girlfriend. Cox soon made it clear she had issues with Gallardo-Mills, yelling things like, “I can’t understand your funky accent. Speak f--king English,” the suit says. 

The suit notes Gallardo-Mills “has lived in the United States for over 20 years, is fully fluent in English, and only spoke English in her professional capacity” with Miller.  

Dindi's’ work situation went off the edge and had burst in July 2010, when Cox allegedly threw a phone and chair at her — and “smeared human feces” on a countertop in her work area in the Hell’s Kitchen living/work space that Miller and Cox shared, the lawsuit says.    

After a year, Cox went on another abuse, the suit says, scattering all of Gallardo-Mills’ files across the floor and destroying her printer “with a hammer,” the suit says.

Then, Cox left her filthy underwear and “used menstrual pad” in her work space, the suit says.

I know most of you would agree that no one deserves something like these from abusive employers  It is clear that the degree of pain and psychological effect it may have brought to Dindi is of great deal /importance that the law deserves a deep focus and understanding while this is not the only case of racial discrimination and abuse of fellow Filipinos and Asians staying or working abroad - and of other nationalities from the Third World countries. 

I hope that the Philippine government finds a way to support racial profiling and discrimination victims and extend legal assistance to Dindi and to other Filipinos abroad.

Photo credits: TheFilAm.net

With Dindi Gallardo's great courage to speak out 
and finally send this to court, 

she needs our support, more than ever!