Yorme Isko’s ‘etneb,’ ‘gedi’ OK with KWF

MANILA, Philippines — Is Manila Mayor Isko Moreno’s way of playing with Filipino words fine with the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF)?

For KWF chairman and National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario, there is no problem with Moreno’s speech, saying it is “informal, colloquial” and also “verbal, not written.”

During the Manila government’s flag-raising ceremony yesterday, where Almario was also present, Moreno surprised three enforcers of the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau – Eduardo Lambino, Kenneth Naval and Edwin Trias – with an on-the-spot permanency of their positions from being job-order employees after they refused to take a bribe from a motorist who they flagged down recently.

“Naging kagawian na sa Maynila, matik na kapag nahuli ka, bot-a,” Moreno said, using colloquial terms derived from “automatic” and “abot” or handing out money as a form of bribery, respectively.

“Hindi ko kilala itong tatlong tolongges na ito, pero ikinalulugod ko na kahit hindi tayo nagpapangita (we do not see each other) sa oras ng trabaho, nakatalikod o nakaharap man ako, ay ginagawa pa rin ninyo ang inyong tungkulin ninyo sa mabuting paraan,” he said.

Tolongges translates to “dumb” in informal Filipino.

“It is fun because he attracts people through his language,” Almario told The STAR after the flag ceremony, where other officials and employees of the KWF and other historical and cultural agencies of the government were present, to open in advance the celebration of Buwan ng Wika next month.

“It is good, he could connect easily… A lot of people are happy with it,” he added in Filipino.

“Linis-linis din ‘pag may time, diyan sa gedli-gedli (gilid-gilid or side), bandang nanka (kanan or right), bandang wakali (kaliwa or left) at bandang kodli (likod or back/rear),” Moreno appealed to officials of 896 barangays to help sustain the city government’s efforts to clean the city.

Moreno has been known in the media to twist words – like “etneb” (bente or 20), “takwarents” (kuwarenta or 40), “posam” (sampu or 10) and being called “Yorme” (mayor) – or introduce new terms like “haciendero,” referring to informal settlers.

KWF director-general Anna Katarina Rodriguez agreed with Almario, saying Moreno “uses the language to get attention and to show his personality.”

“He somehow shows a subculture or a sector of society that creates its own language based on the national language,” Rodriguez told The STAR.

She added that Moreno’s language is “part of how language develops and flourishes.”