MANILA, Philippines - A few weeks back, a Twitter account by the name of “Titas of Manila (@TitasOfManila)” came into our lives, a feed that presents the phrases we have come to know and love/hate from our so-called Titas, phrases like:
“Wag kang sumimangot, papangit ka!”
“Sige na. Sing for tita. I’ll give you 500.”
“Taste this. Masarap yan.”
And so on.
And so, a local Twitter icon was born and that started a trend of similar Twitter accounts dedicated to the many different occupants of this strange city––Titos of Manila, Dads, Moms, Conyos, Bruhas... And it was good.
(My personal favorite is @TitosOfDubai, reminding us of the harsh truths of OFW life.)
We here at Young STAR like to think we are fixed to the pulse of what is hip and happening on the scene. So we want to jump on this bandwagon and help drive the joke to the ground by suggesting some’ “of Manila” Twitter accounts of our own.
Boiling down people to stereotypes (and assuming we know what the common things they say are) might be dehumanizing if we think about it. But that’s part of the so-called fun of this darn trend, so here’s a couple we’d like to see, starting with...
Millennials of Manila
Yes, let us poke fun at this target demographic of this fine section called Young STAR. As part of the technology obsessed youths who cannot live without something to hold their attention for five minutes, we are easy targets and I am surprised this hasn’t been done yet. Or I did my research wrong. Anyway, we will rule the world in 20 years, full of hashtags and Instagrams. For now, let’s laugh at ourselves.
Koreans of Manila
Sent here for educational reasons and possibly for the acquisition of English language skills, these Korean youths are thrust into this meat grinder of a city filled with fear and anxiety we can only imagine — or not, who knows? I hope they are all right here. But as much as they have become a part of what we know as the norm, what with these amazing Korean grocery stores and the wandering youths around campus areas, they are still alien to us. What are their hopes? Their dreams? Are they tired of being asked if they are really Korean? What do they think of local celebrities? Do they like sisig? So many questions, so much reluctance to find someone to ask. So help me know about you from a safe distance through the power of being on Twitter.
MMDA Officers of Manila
The hardworking men and women of the Metro Manila Development Authority. Tasked with the heavy burden of trying to figure out how to solve Manila’s traffic problem, they have become hated by the general populace. Well, I’d like to think that. We could also possibly hate them for a lot of things they try to pull like badly placed road signs that lead us to being caught and forced to pay a fine, or maybe just the negligence of the rules they try to enforce sometimes (parking in a “no parking” zone, going in the opposite direction down one-way streets), their disappearances during times we need them most, like flooding, or intersections with traffic lights switched off.
Askals of Manila
Stray dogs! Sometimes terrifying! Sometimes dead!
Horrible Politicians of Manila
You see them in their convoys made up of luxurious cars rushing past you during rush hour, on your TV screen making you place your palm across your face to signify disappointment, on the signs of barangay projects that don’t look like they are worth what the sign says they’re supposed to be worth, making bad decisions about human rights, and generally being examples that karma doesn’t exist. Let us mourn our country with faves and retweets.