Ilonggo ko ya no!
18 October 2006
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I was having breakfast with my officemate yesterday and we started to talk about past relationships. It seems she was not yet over her ex-boyfriend although she admitted that it was probably her pride who still hurts rather than her heart. Her ex has apparently “upgraded” to an Optometrist who’s also not an eyesore herself. To add insult to injury, a friend told her that the mother of her ex was apparently against her when they were still together for three reasons. 1) She doesn’t have lots a’ moolah, 2) She’s arrogant since she always speaks English when she calls, and 3) She’s from the Visayas. The mother (who’s an Ilocana) was heard commenting that she was against “Bisaya” women because she has a son who, according to her, was impoverished because of his wife who is a Bisaya.
Answer to No. 1: It is beyond the powers of my officemate. Answer to No. 2: She is conscious of her Ilonggo accent. Have you heard Miriam Santiago? Would you rather hear her speak Tagalog than English? Answer to No. 3: “Indi ko ya Bisaya, Ilonggo ko ya no!”. I coudn’t agree more.
What we refer to as bisaya in Ilonggo is the native chicken. We call all Cebuano-speaking as Cebuanos but if someone not Ilonggo-speaking refer to somebody as Bisaya, we take this to mean as Cebuano. No offense meant to all Cebuanos but Ilonggos don’t like to be called Bisaya. Ilonggos have a negative perception of Cebuanos as being quarrelsome. Personally, I don’t want to be called Bisaya because I take pride in being an Ilongga. It’s interesting to note that different regions have negative perceptions of people from other regions. Ilocanos are considered “kuripot” (miser). Others consider Ilonggos as “tikalon” (braggart). Now that probably explains why the mother of my officemate’s ex was so against her.
My advice to my officemate was that she should forget her ex especially the mother. They were not of good pedigree after all. Not because the mother is Ilocana but because she is a shallow person. Duh! Who would want her for a mother-in-law? Nawong pilak. Some may not agree with me but who cares? Just don’t mistook me for a Bisaya because “Ilonggo ko ya no!”
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“Ilonggos have a negative perception of Cebuanos as being traitors.”
well probably not all ilonggos think of cebuanos that way. and i personally don’t. i just heard a lot of stories from those living in manila and seafarers who had conflicts with cebuanos. they said never mess with cebuanos or else you’ll be sorry… and you should watch your back too. hmmm… i think the word ‘traitor’ was inappropriate. i didn’t mean to be unfair to the cebuanos.
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