Reese Barcelon
In the Philippines, Visayas is also a successful region in the country despite being away from the capital city. As a matter of fact, tourists are fonder of visiting famous places located in the region rather than in Luzon because of the beautiful beaches around the provinces.
However, there are some Filipinos who treat their fellow countrymen different just because they came from a different place and they are not used to the particular language.
The Bisaya language is often used when cracking a joke or when someone is trying to make a person laugh by mimicking the native accent. What’s more saddening, is the fact that the Visayan people are being turned into a laughing stock just because some people think they are better than them.
One woman named Rachel Amestoso from Visayas got fed up in behalf of all her fellow Visayans because of the harsh treatment and negative impression given to them, after some netizens declared that the results of the bar examinations are rigged since there are a lot of people from Visayas who passed the exam.
Her post immediately went viral as it was an issue which should come to an end once and for all.
(Some of the phrases in the native language have been translated.)
“Magbibisaya ako sa parteng ito. Kung hindi mo maintindihan ang linyang ito, ibig sabihin ikaw ang mas b*bo sating dalawa. Naiintindihan kita kahit magtagalog o mag english ka pa. Sa puntong ito pa lang, sino na ang mas b*bo sating dalawa? Wag ka nang sumagot. Pinapahiya mo lang sarili mo sa lolo mo.
I know where this is coming from.
People from the Visayas were always portrayed in the television as dumb and ridiculous and can do nothing more than being a mere house helper. People made fun of our language, people made fun of our speech. Radio stations use words from our language only when the intention is to make a joke or say something dirty at least. I remember one conversation between two women in a salon I went to,
“Nakakuha ka na ng bisaya?”
“Di pa nga e, ihanap mo nga ako.”
“Sige, mas okay kasi mas makakamura ka pag nakakuha ka ng yaya na bisaya.”
Talk about commodifying my people.
“Ayaw ng mga anak ko ng bisaya e.”
“Du’n mo na pakainin at patulugin sa may kusina, ‘yun ginawa ko sa yaya namin ayaw kasi ng anak ko sa kanya.”
Aaand we’re treated like dogs.
I remember fully well how one of my teachers back in grade school told us their helper was so surprised they let her eat with them at their dining table. Apparently, her past bosses in Manila made her eat in the kitchen sink.”
Amestoso had an idea about what she was about to experience due to what other Visayans went through in the different region, but never did she thought that it will be more extreme than what she expected.
“Going back, first day of college in a Luzon-based University, I got laughed at for my weak Tagalog communication skills. No worries, I told myself. At least I can understand what’s going on. Still I got questioned for being there when I could’ve been back home as if I did not deserve to study there. Fast forward to idk what year in college but I got a boyfriend from the oh my god superior tagalog race. Know what his parents said? “Bakit ka nag-girlfriend ng bisaya?” You know, because bisaya people aren’t viewed as humans yata by the superior tagalog race so I basically didn’t deserve the motherf***er. B**** IT’S YOUR SON WHO DID NOT DESERVE ME.
“Bisaya ka? Ba’t ang puti mo?”
TAGALOG LANG ANG PWEDENG MAPUTI? TAGALOG KA? AKALA KO BA MAY MGA UTAK KAYO?
“Bisaya ka? Ba’t ang ganda mo?”
FLATTERED AKO PERO B*BO KA PA RIN.
“May kuryente sa inyo?”
MAY KURYENTE SA’MIN PERO MAY COMMON SENSE BA SA INYO?
“Bisaya ka? Pano ka nakapag-aral dito?”
B**** BECAUSE I PASSED UPCAT AND MY PARENTS CAN AFFORD MY EDUCATION, WHAT’S GOOD
And other sh**:
“Pag bisaya diba jejemon?”
“Nakakaintindi ka ng english? “
“Jologs nun e bisaya kasi!”
Fast forward in college and I was an applicant in an organization whose members made me sing bisaya songs and laughed at me like retards. Pinagmumura ko lang kayo with melody di niyo lang alam. Sinong t****?
Anyway,
You know what’s funnier than a bisaya person trying to speak tagalog? Answer: a tagalog person unable to understand a bisaya conversation
You know who’s b*bo? Answer: people who assume they’re automatically smarter because they were born in a place whose people spoke a particular language
I don’t get it. Pag topnotchers from a Visayas based university, smells fishy agad pero pag topnotchers na bisaya pero from a Luzon based university, okay lang? So you’re saying universities from Luzon are automatically of higher quality and universities from the Visayas are always less? FYI, there are so many universities from the Visayas who breed excellent and competitive students. You’re so complacent with the thought that you’re superior you actually overlooked the fact that you’re not. You try so hard to appear bigger you ended up inhaling too much air inside.
I’m not saying we should hate each other and there should be a war between bisaya people and tagalog people BUT YOU CALLED FOR IT. AND NO, THIS ISN’T AN ISSUE NA DAPAT DI PINAPALAKI KASI WE’VE BEEN DEALING WITH THIS FORM OF DISCRIMINATION ALL OUR LIVES. IT’S SOMETHING YOU WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND BECAUSE YOU GREW UP TAGALOG. AND I COULD’VE SPOKEN ENTIRELY IN BISAYA HERE BUT HEY KAWAWA NAMAN KAYO DIBA DI NIYO MAGETS.
Galit kayo, galit din kami pero kung mag-aaway tayo, tandaan mong lahat ng sinasabi niyo naiintindihan namin. B*bo.”
Netizens who had read Amestoso’s post clearly saw the point she was trying to emphasize and agreed with her statement. Some of them even apologized on Tagalog people’s behalf.
Amestoso’s statements were all true, unfortunately. Bisayans are belittled because of where they came from and what language they speak. They are refused to be provided with the opportunities Tagalog people are able to receive for the same reasons, when in fact, there are times when Bisayans deserve more than the Tagalog ones.
Intelligence and reputation isn’t based on a person’s financial capability, nationality or race – but rather on the person’s skills and abilities which are the things that should be given more attention.
At the end of the day, everyone who lives in the Philippines is all the same. It is the people who builds barriers and distance themselves away from each other.
