The NaFFAA Is Wrong in Saying that to Call Pakyaw a "Midget," a "Whore" and a "Chump" Means Racially Insulting Filipinos and Filipino Americans 

By Jesse Jose

A Cup O' Kapeng Barako

B etter late than never . . .

Nonetheless, I've got to have my say.  My opinion on the matter, that is I've been wanting to say something about it for so long. But I've been so darn busy with other things in my life. That I just couldn't get around to sitting in front of my darn computer and writing about it. 

Dear Readers, let me laugh first though: Ha!  Ha!  Ha! 

Because I think it's really funny. No, better than that: it's hilarious! It's knee-slapping hilarious, I tell ya.

It's about those words that Boxer Floyd Mayweather said to describe our Pakyaw, the current national hero of the Philippines and the number-one idol of many Filipinos.

A "midget."

A "whore."

And, a "little yellow chump."

O h, my! I tell ya. That was so funny, I think. Hey, I've been called names, worst names, than that. And most of them were unprintable, too. I think there's nothing more hilarious than being called obscene, unprintable names. Because to me, the words merely reflect back on the name-caller's personality and mentality and the class of society that the name caller belongs to. You know, like the "patapon" class, y'all know what I mean?  But let's move on to what I have to say.

From what I heard, the head honchos of NaFFAA had denounced Mayweather's comments as "racist" daw, and "a disgusting diatribe" against Pakyaw. And a "racial slur" and an "embarrassment to all Filipinos and Filipino Americans."

May I beg to differ?

Calling Pakyaw a "midget" is not a racial slur to Filipinos. Now if Mayweather had said that "Pakyaw, like most Filipinos, are midgets," then that would have been a racial slur to all Filipinos and Fil-Ams. Perhaps, to Mayweather, Pakyaw looks like a "midget." So, he called him a midget." And that to me is an opinion, but definitely NOT a racial slur.

Just like, for instance, calling a black man, a black man, would not be a racial slur, would it?  For some, that would be a racial slur. I've been censored and "castrated," I mean, castigated for saying that. But then, how else would you describe a black man? There's no other way. Except, perhaps, with that "N" word. That's no longer allowed. If I use that word, I would not only be castigated, I would be, definitely, castrated.  But back to the word, "midget."

The word, "midget," does not connote race.  It connotes the size and looks of a person. Well, if Pakyaw looks like a midget to Mayweather . . . then a midget, he is, in Gayweather's, I mean, in Mayweather's mind. Y'all follow me, Dear Readers? If some of you find my logic faulty there, well, nobody is perfect. I am no midget though.

As to the word, "whore," from what I understand Pakyaw likes women and he's always surrounded by women swooning at him, and that he has "mistresses" galore, here and there and everywhere. It's an open secret, sabi nga. With all those millions of dollars that he has, heck, why not?  He can buy women by the thousands. If you can "buy" elections in the Philippines, you can easily buy women there for sex ... or men, whatever is your preference. Or even with a child, for that matter.  Believe me, I've seen it. Many foreign pedophiles come to the Philippines to buy child sex. The Almighty Dollar can buy anything in the Philippines, that's a fact, as we all know.

But back to the word, "whore." I think that's just a word of envy on the part of Maryweather, I mean, Mayweather, to describe Pakyaw. In the Philippines, anyway, the more women you have, the more macho you are....  In my younger days, I used to be a "whore," too. But I never made any buying though. I used my good looks to entice women.  And the words then to describe men like me, were: "palikero o babaero."

Now, as to those words: "little yellow chump." In the dictionary, "chump" means "blockhead; a dolt."  Once again, there's nothing racial about the word, "chump."  It's merely a perception on the part of – Gayweather, I mean, Maryweather, sorry, I mean -- Mayweather of Pakyaw.  Y'all get my drift?

Colloquially, in American English ... the word, "chump" could also mean, "monkey."  But is Pakyaw a "little yellow 'monkey'"?  Far from it, y'all know that.  He is no chump nor chimp.  He is the CHAMP!  He's macho.  He's an idol.  He's "Pacman," the Filipino superman.  He's a national hero ...  at congressman pa ngayon, at artista, at bidang-bida.

DISGUSTING AND AN EMBARRASSMENT: To me, what is disgusting and embarrassing to us, Filipinos and Fil-Ams are what the NEOs of NaFFAA have done: The thieveries and the fraud and the false and the convoluted financial statement meant to confuse ... and their continuing refusal to come forward and come clean and acknowledge the theft.

And, their hypocrisies in presenting a goody-goody image, despite of it all! 

F rom what I heard, the head "kurakuteros" and "kurakuteras" of NaFFAA (for the sake of uninitiated readers of my Barako column, NaFFAA means National Federation of Filipino-American Association, and from what I understand, there's now an added letter 'A' to the association's name and that added 'A' means "alcoholics"). 

Whether that's true or not, I dunno really.  I've never met any of the NEOs of "NaFFAA-A."  But I've heard and read a lot of things about them and what they have done -- the shenanigans, the nakawans, the unaccounted money and all ... and the sticky fingers of its leadership in the proverbial cookie jar. 

And now, I am beginning to hear of its slow demise. Dahil bankrupt na. 

I've also recently heard of new anomalies about monies that were collected for the Noy-Mar election campaign.  Instead of the money going into the Noy-Mar campaign, nawaldas na naman daw yung pera on trips for "special" NaFFAA members who went home to the Philippines.  Grabe....  

And all these things that I've heard of NaFFAA or NaFFAA-A were written by three famed, award-winning Fil-Am investigative journalists and publishers: LOLO Bobby Reyes of Los Angeles, California; Joseph G. Lariosa of Chicago, Illinois; and my dear friend, Romeo Marquez, formerly of San Diego, California, but now of Toronto, Canada.

How can I NOT believe and echo what they have written? I am in awe of their fearlessness in exposing shenanigans within our Filipino community. Me? I am merely a irreverent joker, and a wannabe satirist, who likes to laugh at people and things, for he who laughs, the whole world laughs with him. Y'all can laugh at me, too, if you wish. And I'll laugh back at you.

Jesse Jose is as irreverent as my literary mentor, Fred Burce Bunao, is. Both of them say that they would not mind being called irreverent for as long as their commentaries do not become irrelevant to the community. – Bobby Reyes

Editor’s Note: To read Jesse Jose’s query on the NaFFAA “Bobos,” please go to: Do Loida Lewis and the NaFFAA NEOs Think that Filipino Americans Are “Bobos” Like Them?

M idget, whore, and chump . . . Ha! Ha! Ha! Funnneeeee, indeed.  That's my take on this matter. Better late than never, di ba? That's all.  JJ