A letter written by Gerald Misa
Philippine Daily Inquirer
917 Palawan St., Sampaloc, Man
Ethnic slur against the 'Bisaya'
The ethnic slur against Cebuano-speaking Filipinos, (commonly referred to as "Bisaya") in the Filipino movie "Sakal, Sakali, Saklolo" does not come as a surprise. (Inquirer, 12/28/07)
The Tagalogs have long taunted, mocked and shown prejudice against the peoples of Mindanao and Cebuano dialect-speaking provinces of Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Negros Oriental, Siquijor and Southern Leyte.
And Sen. Aquilino Pimentel should not have complained that the slur hinted that only the Tagalogs are the real Filipinos. Indeed, the real Filipinos are only those who speak or write the Tagalog language -- those in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Batangas and other Tagalog-speaking areas.
Having been born in Marawi City and raised up, studied and finished my education in Cebuano-speaking, predominantly Christian Iligan City, I have never considered myself -- since childhood -- a "Filipino."
I am known as a "Filipino" because of an imposed citizenship, but by heart and by choice I am a proud Mindanaoan who longs to have a separate republic for my fellow Cebuano or Bisaya-speaking Mindanaoans, who would be better off governing themselves than be subjects of the imperialist North.
Why join the Tagalogs in proudly proclaiming themselves Filipinos when they do not even consider us, "mga Bisaya" their equals and fellow Filipinos? A Tagalog mocking a Bisaya's flawed Tagalog does not shock me. He hurts and offends me. Hearing or seeing a Caucasian discriminate against a Filipino - meaning, a Tagalog -- does not affect me. But when a foreigner heaps racial slurs on a fellow Cebuano-speaking Boholano or Davaoeño, I am deeply saddened and offended.
Every day, bigotry is committed against a Bisaya -- on TV shows, on radio programs, on the streets and inside buses, trains, passenger jeepneys, malls, department stores, even churches.
Everywhere. It pains me to hear the deejay of an early morning FM radio program having fun emulating the way a Bisaya speaks Tagalog with a distinctly heavy or regional accent. When a Bisaya mispronounces a Tagalog word or two, a Tagalog bursts into laughter.
Tagalogs joined those who demanded an apology from a Canadian school where a Caucasian teacher called a child of a Philippine immigrant couple a "pig" for eating with a spoon. The child's mother came from Misamis Oriental, a Cebuano-speaking province. Why did the Tagalogs feign sympathy for the family with a Bisaya blood? It was a classic display of Filipino hypocrisy, the same "plasticity" Tagalogs show every time Manny Pacquiao beats his opponents. They "rejoice" although they laugh at him because of his Bisaya accent.
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5 comments:
Impluwensya lang yan ng mga Amerikano sa mga tagalog kaya ganyan kung magsalita sila. Parang sa Amerika, napaka slur ng mga puti sa mga itim. Kumbaga kung ang tawag ng mga puti sa mga black americans ay nigger, dito naman ang tawag ng mga tagalog sa mga taga visayas at mindanao ay bisaya.
I admit that I'm guilty of the so called mockery, taunting and whatsoever against the Visayan and Mindanao Filipino People. I was born in Manila and have spent 16 years of my life in Makati. All those years I thought that the so called slanders we're a Norm but after spending 7 years here in Cebu I learned that not only that the Tagalogs slandered/mocked/etc. the Southern People but the Southern People also did the same. I was made fun off because of my soft accent and was even made to say deep visayan language like "bisong" infront of people not really knowing what it means. Though gradually I also became used to it to the point that I'm not being made fun off anymore. My point is... this is not a one way offense but a two way... WE FILIPINOS have this bad habit of discriminating/mocking/etc. against each other which we call "Crab Mentality". A new governement or whatsoever for the Visayan and Mindanao People will not solve this problem of discrimination.
PS: I laugh at Manny Pacquiao everytime he speaks english mainly because it sounds funny and not because he wasn't that educated or that he has a Visayan accent. Also, whatever we Filipinos try to speak (English,Mandarin,Nihonggo,etc.) our accent from our mother language will always show itself.
IPAGMALAKI NA PINOY TAYO HINDI KANO!!
IPASIGARBO NGA PINOY TA DILI KANO!!
Even me I do not consider my self as a Filipino, I am bisaya from Mindanao, I wish that Bisayan people will build a Bisayan country rather than following the fucking emperialist north who's sucking taxes from Mindanao and Visayas and make goods to their country, hope that revolution will happen. Most of the Center, capital, national symbolism, laws and leaders who in a higher position is from luzon so unfair.
Bisaya is just resbacking from the Tagalog's, because Tagalogs are the first discriminator to the Visayan, tagalog became arrogant because there language is national they feel that they are superior.
When will the Tagalogs realize, that they're the shit-stain of this country? That's why I want Visayas and Mindanao to separate from Luzon, because we're better off without them, maybe even more successful. And Filipino? Pfft... I'm a Bisaya/Visayan, nothing else.
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