MANILA - THE Philippine government on Tuesday said it was demanding a formal apology from Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin over a joke he made about getting a Filipina mail-order bride.

The joke, made during a May 12 interview with US talk show host David Letterman, had sparked outrage among politicians and Filipinos around the world, the government said.

Manila's consul-general to New York, Ms Cecilia Rebon, had been asked to send a letter to the producers of the show and to Baldwin 'to express deep concern over the derogatory remark', the foreign department said.

'The consulate shares the sentiments expressed by many others that although said in jest, the remarks displayed insensitivity and tactlessness,' the department said.

In the interview, Baldwin told Letterman he was 'thinking about getting a Filipina mail-order bride ... or a Russian'. 'I don't care, I'm 51,' said Baldwin, who is divorced from Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger.

Letterman replied: 'Get one for me, for later' to laughter from the audience.

The interview has been widely circulated on the video sharing site YouTube, causing outrage among the huge Filipino diaspora.

At least three members of the Philippine Senate have also demanded that Baldwin publicly apologise, stressing that the mail-order bride business was outlawed here.

'Incidents of mockery against our race happen again and again. Again and again we must not fail in our strong condemnation and resounding assertion of our dignity,' said Senator Loren Legarda.

'Let us make it clear to the world: Filipino women are not for sale. Not even for sale to Hollywood actors,' she said. -- AFP