Cebu Mayor Tommy Osmeña posted a photo of a school textbook that sparked outrage online against racism. Photos: Facebook, Tommy Osmeña
Cebu Mayor Tommy Osmeña posted a photo of a school textbook that sparked outrage online against racism. Photos: Facebook, Tommy Osmeña

A photo of a Philippine school textbook that appears to make racist comments against Filipinos’ appearance has sparked outrage on social media.

On January 30, Tommy Osmeña, mayor of Cebu City, posted a photo on Facebook of a page from a textbook of his friend’s grandchild.

In the photo, the book said one of the characters was unlike most Filipinos, as her curly hair made her more beautiful. “She looks like a mestiza [a Filipino of mixed ethnicity, usually European] with her pointed nose and white, fair skin.”

Filipinos are known for their dark skin tone and flat noses, which are considered “unattractive” by many people in the Philippines.

However, several netizens expressed anger at the book in the Facebook post, and questioned those Filipinos who think having whiter skin is better. Some said the book was teaching children to be racist against fellow Filipinos.

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