Think about it
Pangasinenses or Pangasinanes or Pangalatok or Pangalato? Take your pick!
By Jun Velasco
HAPPY New Ear!
We were meaning to use the head “Happy New Ear!” to warn against our common practice of exploding “paputok” (firecrackers) in welcoming the New Year.
Hopefully, we’d have less casualties this time with P-Noy’s government through the Philippine National Police and the Department of Health leading the campaign against indiscriminate firing of paputok. We understand the paputok tradition is firing of Chinese origin. The ear-splitting sound is intended to drive away the sins or faults of the past and welcome the New Year.
If that be so, let’s go for a compromise. Let’s outlaw the deadly crackers.
We all have seen victims on TV with damaged limbs and hands, burned houses and even deaths. A few explosions that, we heard, would shoo away bad luck should be allowed. Ok, Colonels Boyet Ricarforte and Romeo Caramat?
So instead of Happy New Ear, Happy New You!
* * *
We received yesterday this text-message from a friend (name withheld upon request) “tirahin mo nga itong kumpoadre natin na nagpalit na ng ugali… kesyo nasa poder na, akala mo na kung sino, hindi na tayo kilala at nagiging kilalalang kurakot pa.”
We texted back, “Ho-hum!” We wanted to add people entering politics will cease being your personal buddies (generally speaking) because their new-found world would require them to behave according to its political survival rules.
Politicians are forced to lie, hide, steal, abandon friends and family to stay in power.
But there are a few who are able to strike a balance between their true nature (good men) and their obsession to stay in power.
“Sincerity is scarce among politicians,” we told our friend who replied “tama ka, pare, he is not fault; it’s me who regarded him highly.”
Happy New Year!
* * *
It would be well for Gonzalo Duque’s historical commission to do a research about a subject that we believe must have bugged us in this province for so long.
It is this: how do we want to called, Pangasinense, Pangasinanes, Pangalatok or Pangalato?
You see, all these names are in current use. Well-known historian, Rosario Mendoza Cortes, in her two volumes about Pangasinan’s history used “Pangasinanes.” The more popular one we use is “Pangasinense.”
Veteran journalist Rod Rivera uses “Pangalato” while many others use “Pangalatok.”
Over a cup of coffee, Philippine Information Agency Director General Joe Fabia and economist AV. Bicera from Bolinao and this columnist had an interesting exchange about the subject but ended up with a decision to refer the matter to Gonzalo’s commission.
It was Gons, you know, who after reeling from the casual practice of referring to the birthday of the late Speaker Eugenio Peres on November l3 as Pangasinan Day, threw the subject of fixing the foundation date of the province to the provincial government.
The rest is history.
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