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Humor and Satire The Great Debate among Botomites of Whether to Change the Name of the Philippine Archipelago or Not
| The Great Debate among Botomites of Whether to Change the Name of the Philippine Archipelago or Not |
The original thread of discussion in the was “Subject: Re: Maharlika, ang Dakilang Lahi.” Soon, list members were suggesting new names for the Philippine archipelago. The original post called for the Philippines to be renamed the “Maharlika.” Even Apo Satur Respicio, the aging pundit from Hercules, California, butted in and suggested instead the name of the “Magayon Republic.” The Bicolano word, “magayon,” means beautiful. Poet-pundit Fred Burce Bunao told me, however, that adopting it might create the wrong impression that the “Magayonic” (sic) people are gay, as many Westerners would pronounce it, “May-gay-on.” Mr. Bunao’s parents hailed from Albay Province in the Bicol Region.
This writer did not post in the Botomo Mr. Bunao’s remarks and his suggestion of a new name for the homeland. Actually, Mr. Bunao, who is older than Apo Satur, suggested a new name that would be a combination of the archipelago’s indigenous people like the Aetas and the Latino world, as Spain was conquered by the Romans, the lords of then the many kingdoms of Italy. Mr. Bunao wanted to suggest the name of “Aetalia.”
This writer has a suggestion of his own. In order to rename the Philippines, the new name must be based on a word or product that is common to almost all inhabitants of the archipelago – from Aparri to Jolo. This writer could think of only the “balut” (duck egg that already has a well-developed embryo) and, therefore, the best new name for the homeland might as well be “Balutkistan.” Adopting this name might pacify our Muslim brethren, as the name is similar to the names of countries such as Pakistan, Afghanistan and all the Islamic countries that used to be members of the now-defunct Union of Socialist Soviet Republics.
On the other hand, Engr. Alfred C. Gilo, my friend from Dingras (Ilocos Norte) and Panama City (Florida), suggests that we adopt the name “Ilocoslovakia.” Then the dean of Filipino columnists, Max V. Soliven (now deceased), actually coined it. Engineer Gilo said that the vinegar, “Sukang Ilocos,” is a common product being used by Filipinos from Aparri to Jolo; therefore, the suggested name would represent best the commonality of the people of the archipelago. Besides he argues that the Czech Republic and the Slovak nation would immediately identify with “Ilocoslovakia” and boost the homeland’s tourism. He said that after all, the Philippine flag looks like the Czech banner in design and color selection. Then the archipelago’s Catholics venerate the Santo Niño de Praga and Prague of course is the capitol city of the Czech Republic. And adopting “Ilocoslovakia” may help generate more transparency in the Philippine government, as there would be more Czech and balance in the fiscal affairs of the Filipino homeland.
Why, I said that Mr. Gilo’s mentioning of the Ilocano vinegar should merit support from some Filipino and Filipino-American journalists (kuno) like the perrytale writer and the Batongmaliit chronicler. According to veteran journalist Joseph G. Lariosa, there is the adage, “Pinabili lang ng suka at pagbalik ay journalist na.”
Or perhaps, Filipinos may like to adopt the suggestion of many Bicolano Filipinos to rename the country the “Abaca Republic.” After all, the Philippines is the number-one producer of the abaca fiber in the world. “Abaca Republic” would sound better than “Banana Republic,” even in the merchandizing of clothes, especially RTW brand names. Since abaca is also called “Manila hemp,” perhaps the national slogan would be, “Why go banana when you can go hemp?” But the disadvantage here is that hemp is another moniker for marijuana and our women may be dubbed the “Mary Janes”?
So, Dear Readers, do you have a suggested new name for the homeland? Please send to this writer at your respective suggestions, as we can do a sequel to this article.
Here are the reproductions of some of the exchanges of opinion in the said Botomo thread, “Maharlika, ang Dakilang Lahi,” to wit:
Copper Sturgeon (AKA “TI” for Tumbagang isda)
QUOTE.
This is not a new issue, several countries in Europe changed names for the same reason.
For your benefit: The origin of the word Hispania is much disputed and the evidence is based merely upon what are at best apparent resemblances and the sketchiest of other supporting evidence. One theory holds it to be of Punic derivation, from the Phoenician language of colonizing Carthage. It may derive from i (meaning island), and shfanim (of the Semitic root S-P-N), literally translating to "Island of the Hyrax". Another theory, proposed by the etymologist Eric Partridge in his work "Origins", is that it is of Iberian derivation and that it is to be found in the pre-Roman name for Seville, Hispalis, which strongly hints of an ancient name for the country of *Hispa, an Iberian or Celtic root whose meaning is now lost, although it may instead derive from Heliopolis (Greek for "City of the Sun").
Substituting "Spanish" for Hispanicus or "Hispanic", or "Spain" for Hispania, though sometimes done by historians, is anachronistic and can be misleading, since the borders of modern Spain do not coincide with those of the Roman province of Hispania, or of the Visigothic Kingdom which briefly succeeded it. Although the Latin term Hispania was often used during Antiquity and the High Middle Ages as a geographical name for the Iberian Peninsula, its cognates "Spain" and "Spanish" have become increasingly associated with the Kingdom of Spain alone, after its formation in the 15th century under the Catholic Kings.
From Wikipedia for "Hispania"
There is little evidence in what you wrote actually. Conejos . . . hmmm.
UNQUOTE.
Mr. Sturgeon actually replied to the posting of Ceferino (Kenneth) Benedicto, Jr., who posted the following remarks:
QUOTE.
Nobody is claiming that we are Spaniards, duh!
Is that your take, i.e. the original post is to reclaim the native identity? What is the native identity, anyway?
The original post wanted to change the name Filipinas to Maharlika, which came from the Sanskrit word, Maha Lingam. The claim that Filipinas being named after the King of Spain was demeaning of the Maharlika, whom it was meant to mean noble or dakilang lahi . . . a misconception as earlier mentioned. Aside from the fact that it excludes non-Tagalogs . . . just look at the subject . . . It says Re: Maharlika, ang Dakilang Lahi.
In that case, Spain should consider changing its name too. Since España came from the Latin name Hispania meaning land of rabbits. Which now is more demeaning? To be named after a noble monarch, emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, member of one of the longest-ruling royal families of Europe, the Habsburg, or to have a name describing your land as home to rabbits?
Kenneth
UNQUOTE.
Earlier Jose Caedo posted his comments:
QUOTE.
I hope you guys realize that the original post is to reclaim the native identity and not to go back into the old ways.
And the native identity has so many variations, since we are a multi-cultural nation, yes, all are Filipinos but nevertheless, some still claims Hispanic as their sole culture. You KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
But there are more who can claim native culturally and not lie, I have friends who are Manobo, Aeta, and Tausug who has no idea whatsoever what Tagalog and Lowland Filipino mean . . .
I have relatives who will continue to claim Hispanicity and yet cannot prove that direct relationship except through ancestry. Yes, it makes one BIG difference. Ancestry does not make it in the real world, only direct personal connection does.
UNQUOTE.
Mr. Caedo replied actually to an earlier posting by TI, who wrote:
QUOTE.
This is the reality of identity, Mexicans even of Spanish descent, like my friend whose father was from Barcelona, mother (was a) native Mexican mixed with Chinese (nope, they are not called mestizo, they are called criollo, less respected than mestizo!!), he is not Spanish, culturally or what ever you want to peg on him.
Something people will keep missing because of that personal prejudice that I try to remove here . . . My personal prejudice, is simply: "Admit it!! You are Filipino and not Spaniard!" . . . This is from my grandmother whose brother fought for the Bulacan Katipunan, and fought the Americans . . . of course her father is Portuguese.
UNQUOTE.
Most of the comments are also there totalling more than 80 comments mostly from Botomo Groups.
Thanks for posting this article.
My best friend, Rodel Rodis, is always late. Instead of writing a column about the possibility of renaming the Philippines, he should have just commented on the following articles published in January 2008:
The Great Debate among Botomites of Whether to Change the Name of the Philippine Archipelago or Not (by Bobby Reyes in Sections / Humor & Satire)
A New “USSR2” Being Formed in Some Philippine Islands?
(the USSR2 is the suggested name for the proposed Republic of Samar-Romblon).
Happy reading and have a happier weekend,
Mabuhay,
Bobby M. Reyes
Editor
www.mabuhayradio.com
-------------- Original message from : --------------
"...no need to tell you how he repelled the conqueror." - Ben
we all can believe what we want to believe. was magellan a conqueror who wanted to kill lapu-lapu in the battle of mactan OR was magellan an innocent and gullible stooge used by rajah humabon and datu zula to settle their personal grudges against lapu-lapu? was magellan their ignorant and willing fall guy?
when we look around at what is happening today in the batasan with all our present-day provincial rajahs trying to wrest power from each other, and the muslims asking the middle-eastern leaders for help to settle their grudges with the christians of the north, does that not seem familiar with what happened between magellan and lapu-lapu almost 500 years ago?
when the volunteer muslim middle-eastern fighters get killed in mindanao, is it because they want to CONQUER the philippines for themselves, or are they helping out their muslim friends, just like magellan tried to help catholic-convert humabon in his fight with lapu-lapu? what has lapu-lapu got to do with philippine nationalism? NOTHING!!! lapu-lapu's fight was with humabon who tried to use magellan as his tool to kill lapu-lapu.
"After Magellan landed on the island of Homonhon on March 17, 1521, he parleyed with Rajah Calambu (or Kolambu) of Limasawa, who guided him to Cebu, on April 7. Communicating through his interpreter, Enrique, Magellan befriended Rajah Humabon also known as Rajah Hamabar, the king of Cebu, and he and his queen were baptized into the Catholic faith, taking the Christian names Carlos and Juana. Magellan gave Juana the Santo Niño as a symbol of the alliance. Impressed by Magellan's armament (consisting of guns, swords, armor, 12 cannons, and 50 crossbows), Humabon and Datu Zula convinced Magellan to go to the nearby island of Mactan and kill rival chieftain Lapu-Lapu.
It is widely believed that Humabon and Lapu-Lapu bore each other grudges and were constantly fighting for control of territory.[1]
[1] Abellana, Jovito (1952). "Aginid Bayok sa Atong Tawarik." "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mactan
the native warlords and datus of today, coming from the many islands, and walking in the halls of the batasan, are still as belligerent and fractious and combative as the native warlords and datus of magellan's time.
even the many native warlords of fil-ams in california, new york and other states fight among themselves long after they have immigrated to the united states and have become american citizens. leopards never change their spots.
"They are a barbarous people, in whom one cannot place confidence. They are much given to killing and to attacking the settlements of the other natives, in which they commit many depredations; and there is nothing that can be done to stop them, or to subdue or pacify them, ...." - Morga (1609)
maybe it is appropriate then to call the 7,100 islands "LAPU-LAPU" in honor of the many native warlords (like aguinaldo and marcos) who have killed their political enemies to perpetuate their power. some may want to include GMA to that list of native warlords who will stop at nothing to rule forever like marcos.
bobby
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From:
To: ;
CC: placido05@
Subject: Re: Renaming the RP
Date: Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:25:27 +0000
Eddie,
To change the name of the Philippines to "bayanihan"it dosen't sound good, and also I believe, the word is an "adjective",why not spend a little time to research the real name of "lapu-lapu",this man if only European, is as great or better than Alexander the great, no need to tell you how he repelled the conqueror.
Ben
-------------- Original message from Placido Calderon : --------------
Thanks Rodel for your e-mail. The name bayanihan will be a very good name as it evokes the sense of partnership that Filipinos have when they are helping others who need help especially when building a home.
I kind of wonder whether our high government both elected and appointed would be amenable to a name change such as the changes you cited here. (Please note that Ulan Bator is the capital of Mongolia and not the country itself).
Yes many nations have adopted change and even Peking is now known as Beijing. Agana, the capital of Guam was also changed to Hagatna. The 5 Muslim countries that were former Soviet Republics also changed their names to include the last word of Stan to denote that they are Muslim countries. They are Kyrgyzstan which used to be Kyrgyzsia or Kyrgyz Republic, et cetera. The other Muslim countries are Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan.
Yes the Philippines was named after Rey Felipe or King Phillip of Spain. But the question again is whether our government officials and majority of our people will agree to a name change. And as you suggest Bayanihan is a very nice word and will be a nice name for a country that has the tradition of helping each other in time of need.
Eddie
Telltale Signs/ NAME CHANGE FOR THE PHILIPPINES
Rodel E. Rodis, August 25, 2008
When I visited Manila in January of 2006, a city councilor I knew excitedly informed me that his council had just voted to change the name of the Philippines . What? The country would no longer be named after a ruthless Spanish despot? We would finally be rid of this last vestige of colonialism? Hallelujah!
Breathlessly, I asked my friend, Councilor Cassie Sison, to pray tell me what name the good City Council of Manila had proposed.
“The Philippine Islands,” he replied.
After I recovered from my disappointment and picked up my jaw from the floor, I heard Cassie explain that Manila Mayor Lito Atienza believed that the country would draw more tourists if a more exotic name could replace the staid “Republic of the Philippines ”. The proposed name, Cassie said, would conjure dreamy images of palm trees, cool breezes and sandy beaches.
While the country's name change would be at or near the bottom of the nation’s immediate priorities, it should not be ignored because there is no other country in the world that is named after a mass
murderer.
If Ceylon could be changed to Sri Lanka , Mongolia to Ulan Bator , Siam to Thailand , Leningrad to St. Petersburg , Peking to Beijing , why can't the Philippines change its name?
When Ferdinand Magellan “discovered” the islands on March 16, 1521, he named it the Archipelago de San Lazaro. We would have been called “Lazaroans” if Magellan had survived the Battle of Mactan against LapuLapu on April 27, 1521.
Three unsuccessful Spanish expeditions followed Magellan but all failed to reach “San Lazaro”. The fourth expedition, led by Capt. Ruy Lopez de Villalobos, reached Sarangani Island off the eastern coast of Mindanao on February 2, 1543. He renamed the islands “Felipinas” after the crown prince of Spain , Felipe II, the son of Spanish King Carlos V.
Villalobos left “Las Islas Felipinas” after eight months and sailed to the Moluccas where he died. It would not be until 1572 when the Felipinas islands would become a colony of the Spanish empire.
By then, the crown prince had become King Felipe II and he was to rule Spain from 1556 to 1598. He would also rule the Netherlands and Portugal (starting in 1581) as well as the kingdoms of Milan , Naples and Sicily . In his time, Felipe II was the most powerful monarch in the world and it was said that the sun did not set on his empire.
When he became master of the Netherlands , Felipe II reenacted the Edict of 1550 which prohibited the printing, copying, keeping, buying or giving of any book written by Luther, Calvin or other “heretics”
condemned by the Holy Church or the breaking or damaging of any image of the Holy Virgin or any Vatican-canonized saints. The penalty for Edict-breakers would be death by the sword for men and burning at the stake for women. Informers against suspects were to be entitled on conviction to half the property of the accused.
Before burning his opponents at the stake, this Catholic King insisted on going through an “Auto da Fe”, a religious ceremony which accompanied the sentencing of heretics by the Inquisition. Among the victims of Felipe’s inquisition were more than 10,000 Lutherans and more than 80,000 Andalucian Moriscos, Spanish Moors who had converted to Catholicism but who had violated Felipe’s edict prohibiting the speaking of the Arabic language or retaining of any of their ethnic culture.
While he was still crown prince, Felipe II married his first cousin, Princess Maria of Portugal , who provided him with a son, Don Carlos of Spain (1545-1568). Following Maria's death in 1546, he married Catholic Queen Mary I of England in 1554 to cement an alliance with England .
After Queen Mary died in 1558, Felipe wanted to marry her successor, the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I but the plan failed. He blamed his son, Don Carlos, for the failure of the planned marriage and had him imprisoned where he later died.
Felipe then married his son’s fiancée, Princess Elisabeth of Valois, daughter of Henri II of France . Elisabeth provided him with two daughters, but no son. So Felipe married Anne, daughter of
the Emperor Maximilian II, who provided him with an heir, Felipe III.
While he was engaged in wars with the Dutch, Felipe II put together the largest Spanish fleet (Armada) ever assembled, more than 100 ships with more than 30,000 men, to invade England in 1588. The pretext was Queen Elizabeth’s execution of Mary, the Catholic Queen of Scots. But English guile and the “Protestant Wind” thwarted Felipe’s ambitions, and destroyed the Spanish fleet.
When Felipe died in 1598, Spain was bankrupt and in decline as a European power.
What does it mean then to be named after Felipe, to be called Felipinos (later changed to Filipinos), to be "like Felipe", to be intolerant of other people and other religions?
Changing the name would also end all the confusion about the spelling of the country (Phillipines) or the people (Philippinos).
When Andres Bonifacio formed the Katipunan revolutionary organization against Spain in 1896, he refused to use the term “Filipinas”, preferring Tagalog or “Katagalugan” to refer to the country.
Others objected on the grounds that Pilipinas sounded too much like “Alipinas” (land of slaves). Some have proposed “Kapatiran” (brotherhood) or “Katipunan”. Others have suggested “Luzviminda”
referring to the country’s three major group of islands.
In the late 1970s, the Dictator Ferdinand Marcos (who should have been named after Felipe the despot) seriously attempted to change the name of the country to “Maharlika”, the “warrior-noble” in pre-colonial Felipinas who, like the Samurai class of Japan, rendered military service to his feudal lord. But his proposal went nowhere.
If countries like Bolivia could be named after their liberators, why can’t the Pilipinas be named after Rizal? We would all be Rizalians.
My personal preference would be to call the country “Bayanihan” and we would all be “bayanis” (heroes) bound together in the "Bayanihan" spirit of working for the common good.
(Please send your comments to or log on to rodel50.blogspot.com or write to Law Offices of Rodel Rodis at 2429 Ocean Avenue , San Francisco , CA 94127 , or call (415) 334-7800.)
Bobby Manasan
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