MANILA, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government protested a popular comedy program aired by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for allegedly humiliating a Filipino maid, reports said on Tuesday.

    Officials from the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said that the Philippine embassy in London has sent letters to different British government offices, including the Mayor of London, and the BBC itself to protest the "slur" on Filipino domestic workers in Britain.

    Besides, British Ambassador to the Philippines Peter Beckingham was summoned to the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs by Secretary Alberto Romulo to discuss the matter, the Philippine News Agency reported.

    The protest came after BBC aired an episode of the TV show "Harry and Paul" on Sept. 26, in which a woman playing the character of a Filipino housemaid was ordered by her employer "Harry" to dancing lasciviously in front of his friend "Paul."

    "It was revolting. It was disgusting and an insensitive and racist attempt to satirize a scene of exploitation," said Risa Hontiveros, a Philippine lawmaker, demanding an apology from the BBC.

    She said that "by making a horrible scene of exploitation an object of ridicule, the show trivializes an act of abuse commonly experienced by Filipina workers abroad."

    The BBC did not comment immediately but the British Embassy in Manila issued a statement saying the BBC has editorial independence and the views expressed and portrayed by the network "are completely independent" from the government.

    It said Filipinos in Britain "are an important part of British society, making invaluable contributions to our scientific and service sectors, and enriching UK culture."

    There are some 200,000 Filipinos working and living the United Kingdom.

    "If this particular item has upset people in the Filipino community and seen them as offensive, it's something that we regret," Ambassador Beckingham told reporters after meeting with Secretary Romulo on Tuesday afternoon.

    Beckingham said that programs of the BBC are independently-produced and are outside of government interference, a suggestion that government is not in the position to apologize for the company.

    "But obviously as a government, we hope the media always respects the human rights and dignity of ethnic groups, minority groups, particularly religious groups," he said.

    It was the second time in recent months that Filipinos reacted vehemently against their negative portrayal on major foreign television. Last year, Filipinos were offended by the American Broadcasting Co. and made the U.S. television giant apologize and deleted the controversial segment from its TV show "Desperate Housewives."