Word play

Nora Soriño .

ILIGAN City — When acting city mayor Jemar Vera Cruz used the word “banagbanag” in describing the status of the National Steel Corp., there were many objections.

“Banagbanag” means “dawn” — meaning, there is a dawning of an era in which the NSC will rise again.

“How can that be?” asked detractors, especially of the yellow kind.

“Yes, it is.” The good acting mayor says in so many words. But you are entitled to your own wrong opinion. He did not say the latter though and maybe, I’m just putting words into his mouth. Because, he says, something good is happening to the NSC front. Like the taking to the negotiating table of the liquidator team, the city government and the prospective investor.

The liquidator and the city are locked in a battle for ownership. But with them sitting together, and talking, well, there is therefore the dawn or the “banagbanag.” With the dawn, comes later, the morning. Where before, there was the “mourning” because of its death. Yet did they not say that death is not the end of life but is the ending only of one cycle of life? So that another life will begin? Time will just see whether the word which Vera Cruz used, as regards to the steel plant, is correct.

We, Pinoys, are good at using catchy words. And in every place, there are words that are understandable only to the locals. The word “kapayason” in Cebuano means quick to shed tears. In this city though, it means “windy.” I mean, “hambugero.”

In Misamis Oriental, instead of “unya” which means “and then,” they say “daw bi.” But here in this city, it connotes something else. In a project, it means “and then, how much is mine.” Well, I know what that entails which means lesser quality of roads, or bridges of structures because of the “daw bi” for the politicians who has “the initiative” for such project.

“Balite” comes from the balite or the banyan tree. Which folks believe is inhabited by people of another dimension, what we call the “engkantos.” Therefore, if a tree cannot be immediately uproated even with the use of heavy equipment, it is “balite.” The beings there inside are so powerful. And if one insist on really uprooting them, something bad will befall the “uprooter.”

The “balite” here has since evolved as a structure owned by some powerful rich family  and if it remains there even if the other structures are already leveled to the ground, the structure is a “balite.” Insist on it and you will receive the “karma” of that particular family.

And speaking of “karma” or “gaba” it is said in jest that one should beware of the “gaba” of the policeman because it’s more immediate than the “gaba” of God. If you are at the receiving end of the “gaba” of the police officer immediately, you feel it as he swings something onto you with the tools he has at hand. Be it his “batuta” or his gun! And while we’re at it, we’re asking: Does he still bring the harmless-looking  “batuta” these days? God, in the meantime, takes his own sweet time in giving you his due.

So, many people therefore believe more in the “karma” of the police officer. As to God’s “karma” they are still in doubt.

When you speak of “beef randang”’ or “pork chop” or “Hawaiian burger,” that means that the people entitled to them are dining, not eating. And they are so “sosyal.”

But lawyer Dino Quijano, along with friend Norberto “Boy” Altres say the people involved in “dining” with such menu are senior citizens, courtesy of the Sangguniang Panlungsod which has a budget of P30 million for committee services for this year, and which, among others, involve meals in some hearings with the senior citizens as the attendees. And they imply and outright say, how can they eat all such.

They did not altogether say that such kind of people  who are now holders of “dual citizenships” are struggling with arthritis, diabetes, hypertension, fatty liver, kidney stones, etc. Hence their doubts as to their capacity to each such food. At times, they are also served, beef brisket, and sotanghon. (Now I’m wondering what’s the difference between “randang” and “brisket” at the risk of revealing my  being an  “ignoramus.”)

Former President Noy had a catchy worm, err, word “Matuwid na Daan.” For a time, it had caught fire within the electorate. He had some words though in the aftermath of “Yolanda” that struck haplessly at the Waray people a few years ago which said, “You’re a Romualdez…”

These were given a malicious implication by some media reports by just leaving the continuation of such phrase hanging in the air. Prof. Solita Monsod then said the continuation of such phrase is, “…so I must be very careful.” But by cutting it short, it had been given a  malicious connotation.

President DU30 at one point said that his statements, if being interviewed are cut in midway. He singled out Aljazeera. In the process, he had explained why his favorite cuss which is PI. With that, he explained in so many words, his statements are caught verbatim with the foreign press wondering what those exact words mean.

His supporters though say that that is just an expression which many common tao use. Thereby endearing him to them?

The Iliganons have a variant of such expression. It’s called “lxxtnany.” This is particularly attributed to the old and moneyed families here. They are then called in jest as the “latinos.”

These are just random list. I am sure you have your own lists of colorful words though as we Pinoys are rich in these.