Here's a guide to evolving Filipino political jargon
Here's a guide to evolving Filipino political jargon
Manila: The world learned the term "people power" in 1986, when Filipinos staged massive demonstrations that forced out dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
But the tumultuous politics of the Philippines, currently under a state of emergency, has spawned an entire vocabulary that deserves its own dictionary.
The lexicon is a jumble of acronyms, abbreviations and other codewords laced with the trademark, relaxed humour of the Philippines and a guide to this unofficial language is a necessity.
Here are some expressions that offer context about the latest political crisis in the former US-held territory where Tagalog and English are the most widely spoken languages, with many Filipinos easily slipping from one to the other during the course of a sentence.
- GMA: Arroyo is known by her initials. "Oust GMA now," is a common slogan at anti-government rallies where protesters occasionally burn effigies of the diminutive leader with an immaculate coiffure. While Philippine bureaucracy and traffic in Manila seem mired in gridlock, the national taste for acronyms saves plenty of time in a chat.
- Ten-seventeen: People are already referring to the state of emergency declared on Friday by Arroyo by its proclamation number, 1017. Critics who fear the Philippines is veering toward authoritarian rule say 1017 echoes "1081" the proclamation that declared martial law under Marcos in 1972.
- Hyatt Ten: A group of 10 Cabinet ministers who held a news conference at the Hyatt Hotel in Manila last year to announce their resignations in protest against alleged poll-rigging by Arroyo, and urged her to quit.
- Trapo: "Dirty rag" in Tagalog, it derives from Spanish, a legacy of centuries of colonial rule. But it's also a term for "traditional politician," a derogatory term for corrupt office-holders accused of buying votes and plundering public coffers. Suspicion of politicians runs deep in the Philippines, where elite factions trade power with little sign of dividends for tens of millions of poor people.
- Cha-cha: An abbreviation of "charter change," a plan for constitutional reform that would substitute a parliamentary system of government for the current US-style presidential regime. Arroyo favours "cha-cha," saying a parliament led by a prime minister could operate with more unity than in a presidential system with the executive and legislative branches often at odds.
"Cha-cha" has bogged down, partly over disagreements on how to do it. Some politicians propose "con-ass" a constitutional assembly as the best way to ratify reforms. Critics suspect politicians would just try to extend their own terms in office, and instead advocate "con-con," a constitutional convention that would draw input from many sectors of society. - No-el: Short for "no-election," this was the term for a proposal by Arroyo advisers to postpone gubernatorial and other local elections in 2007 because they would conflict with plans for "cha-cha." But former President Fidel Ramos and other prominent figures said "no-el" would undercut democracy, and the government dropped its proposal.
- Erap: The nickname of Arroyo's predecessor, former action film star Joseph Estrada, who was accused of corruption and run out of office in a second "people power" movement in 2001. It's "pare" slang for "buddy" spelled backward.
On Saturday, police chose diplomatic language when they detained several Arroyo critics, including a lawmaker and two retired police generals who were picked up at a golf course. The detainees, authorities said gently, had been "invited for questioning."
