Philippine senator upset by Alec Baldwin’s joke
Associated Press
MANILA, Philippines — Actor Alec Baldwin’s joke about getting a Filipino mail-order bride provoked a sharp response in the Philippines, with one senator saying Monday that the “30 Rock” star faces violence if he ever visits.
Baldwin, 51, who is divorced with a teenage daughter, said in a May 12 interview on “The Late Show” with David Letterman that he would love to have more children.
The Emmy-winning actor quipped that he was “thinking about getting a Filipino mail-order bride at this point ... or a Russian one.”
Baldwin has been involved in a bitter dispute with his ex-wife, Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger, over custody of their 13-year-old daughter, Ireland.
Philippine Sen. Ramon Revilla said Monday that Baldwin’s comment was “insensitive and uncalled for” and an insult to millions of Filipinos.
He called the actor “arrogant” and said he is apparently unaware that the Philippines has a law against mail-order brides.
“Let him try to come here in the Philippines and he’ll see mayhem,” Revilla said, using a local idiom that implies the speaker will personally administer a beating.
The senator himself is a former action-movie star who occasionally still appears on Philippine TV.