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The Oldest Chabacano Text Ever Found ! By: Jerome Herrera Revised by: Juan Valverde
H
ave you ever wondered how our ancestors spoke Chabacano in 1901? I’m sure you have heard that “old” Chabacano was quite different and much more Spanish-like than the one we speak today. Although traditional Chabacano is still used, up to a point, in the formal (but Anglicism-ridden) Chabacano we hear in radio and TV programs, I don’t think anybody living today will have first-hand information on how people in Zamboanga spoke Chabacano in 1901. Well, if you are curious about it, read on. But first, let me give pendent republic of Zam- Later on, we shall see a tuyou some background boanga. That government, multuous Zamboanga expeinformation about 1901. however, at least in 1901, riencing food shortages as During that time, Zam- seems to have been just a well as various difficulties boanga was… the inde- puppet of the United States. Continue on page 4
Modern tricycles for Zambo
Mayor Beng Climaco leads the unveiling of 38 units of modern Piaggio tricycles in Zamboanga City which are all Euro-4 compliant. (Kathy Wee Sit)
DON’T BE SURPRISED if you see Italian-made and modern motorcycle taxis or tricycles plying the roads of Zamboanga and more are coming as part of the local government’s modernization program for the city’s antiquated transportation. Mayor Beng Climaco recently led the unveiling of 38 units of Piaggio tricycles Continue on page 2
Dengue alert up in Zambo FOLLOWING THE DECLARATION of national dengue epidemic by the Department of Health, and the rising number of medical cases here, Mayor Beng Climaco renewed calls for public cooperation and community involvement in the campaign against the spread of the deadly virus caused by mosquito bites. She urged concerned national agencies Continue on page 3
Mayor Beng Climaco talks to a young dengue patient at the Zamboanga City Medical Center during her visit recently. (Kathy Wee Sit)
Photo from “El Zamboanga De Antes” Facebook page shows the old Zamboanga City.
Paseo del Mar undergoes rehab On-going rehabilitation project at Paseo del Mar being undertaken by the local government. (Kathy Wee Sit)
RESIDENTS ARE HAPPY over the on-going rehabilitation project at the Paseo del Mar by the local government in an effort to improve the facility at the seaside park. Paseo del Mar hosts various restaurants and home to the Centro Latino building, among other structures, near Fort Pilar Shrine. Continue on page 7
Climaco vows more reforms, pro-poor programs THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT continues to introduce various reforms and pro-poor programs aimed at further improving the lives of the people here and bring more progress and development to Zamboanga. For the past 6 years of the administration of Continue on page 3
Infra-projects funded by the Zamboanga City Government under the administration of Mayor Beng Climaco.
First Standard Finance Corporation Zamboanga City 0995-5202358 RUSH SALE FOR SALE FOR SALE FOR SALE
Fortune G P680, 000
Montero GLS SE P680, 000
Mitsubishi Strada P700, 000
Hyundai Accent P550,000
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The Zamboanga Post
Modern tricycles for Zambo
Mayor Beng Climaco leads the unveiling of 38 units of modern Piaggio tricycles in Zamboanga City which are all Euro-4 compliant. (Kathy Wee Sit) Continued from page 1 to its beneficiaries at the City Hall. These modern tricycles were made acquired with funding assistance from the Zamboanga City Government Employees Multi-Purpose Cooperative and the Land Bank of the Philippines. The Euro-4 compliant tricycles are all fuel efficient - 36 kilometer per liter of fuel - has a low maintenance cost and flexibility on modifications because the Piaggio
can be used for transport, roving business or deliveries. The 38 units were the first batch of tricycles that comply with the City Government’s thrust on 5-year modernization program. Climaco stressed her strong commitment to support tricycle drivers and cooperatives to modernize their outdated vehicles. “There shall be no phase out of tricycles and we support our tricycle
drivers…tricycle operators and drivers association, and that is why we have this modernization program for all tricycle drivers and operators,” she said. The owners of the new tricycles thanked Climaco for her support to the tricycle drivers and operators and they called on other drivers and drivers association to avail of the Piaggio and modernized their old units. (Zamboanga Post)
SUPPORT PEACE IN MINDANAO
August 19-25, 2019
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The Zamboanga Post
August 19-25, 2019
Climaco vows more reforms, pro-poor programs Continued from page 1 Mayor Beng Climaco, the City Government had spent about P2.272 billion for the education sector, and P661 million for health, P1.427 billion for security, P585 million for social services and P3.55 billion for barangay development programs. Climaco said Security, Health and Education (SHE) Program of her administration will remain her top priority to ensure public order and safety as she vowed to make Zamboanga one of
the most progressive and peaceful cities in the South. She said with the steady growth of businesses and influx of investors here the past 6 years, the local government is bent on improving its tax collection efficiency with projected target income of P4.1 billion, which is also Zamboanga’s annual budget next year. Climaco appealed for the cooperation and support of barangay officials in the implementation of plans and programs espoused by President Rodrigo Duter-
te and her administration under the Executive Legislative Agenda with special emphasis on the anti-drug campaign, including the local traffic situation, potable water supply, electricity, garbage collection and disposal, and informal settlers. She said the City Government will also provide financial subsidy to each of the 98 barangays in the amount of P250,000 for strengthening the Barangays Anti-Drug Abuse Council, and finance the operations of the Violence
Dengue alert up in Zamboanga Continued from page 1 and local government departments to exhaust all means to address the dengue problem here. The City Health Office has recorded 23 deaths from dengue fever and over 4,000 suspected dengue cases here since January. Dengue is a viral disease transmitted by female mosquitoes mainly of the species Aedes aegypti. Climaco ordered barangay officials to help in the campaign against dengue and lead villagers in the cleanliness driver by destroying breeding grounds of mosquitoes. She also ordered all resources be made available to address the dengue problems. “The main goal of the concerted efforts against dengue is to reduce the number of cases primari-
ly through consistent and sustained search-and-destroy activities,” she said. Climaco also held a meeting with stakeholders, including the representatives from the Department of Health led headed by Regional Director Dr. Emilia Monicimpo, and Councilors John Dalipe and El-King Omaga, chairperson and member respectively of the Committee on Health and Sanitation; City Health Officer Dr. Dulce Miravite, as well as representatives from the Association of Barangay Chairpersons, Department of Education and the City Police Office among others. The mayor also visited dengue patients at the Zamboanga City Medical Center and made sure funds are available for them, especially the poor. The local government also
spearheaded the implementation of the “Contra Dengue” along with various stakeholders. The Department of Health declared a national dengue epidemic in the wake of the 146,062 cases recorded since January up to July which was higher by 98% compared to the same period in 2018. Over 600 dengue patients had died. Based on the Dengue Surveillance Report, Region VI (Western Visayas) had the most number of cases at 23,330, followed by Region IV-A (CALABARZON) with 16,515, Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula) with 12,317, Region X (Northern Mindanao) with 11,455, and Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) with 11,083 cases. “It is important that a national epidemic be declared in these areas to
identify where a localized response is needed, and to enable the local government units to use their Quick Response Fund to address the epidemic situation.” Health Secretary Francisco Duque said. He said seven out of 17 regions have exceeded the epidemic threshold of dengue for the past three consecutive weeks and these were: Regions IV-A with 16,515 cases; MIMAROPA – 4,254; V with 3,470; VI with 23,330; VIII with 7,199; IX with 12, 317; and X with 11,455 cases. Other regions exceeded the alert threshold level, such as Region I (Ilocos) with 4,396 cases; VII (Central Visayas) with 10,728; and BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) with 2,301. (Zamboanga Post)
Infra-projects funded by the Zamboanga City Government under the administration of Mayor Beng Climaco. Against Women and Children Council Desk, and for fuel, repair and maintenance of city garbage truck or dump truck, and another P5,000 will be allocated for barangay festival or tourism-related programs. But Climaco stressed that it is very important for all the barangays to comply with all the rules and regulations in the preparation of their individual budget. She also reiterated this during the recent Barangay Budget Administration Forum where the mayor briefed officials on the expenditure directions of her administration for Fiscal Year 2020. In the forum initiated by the City Budget Office, Climaco gave greater focus on ensuring the implementation of projects and programs to be funded by the local government. The
barangays are expected to request funding for projects that can be implemented within the year. “Before you want projects to be done in the barangays, please make sure the necessary documents are submitted to the concerned offices,” Climaco told barangay officials during the forum held at Patio Palmeras in Barangay Santa Maria. She stressed on continued adaption of reforms on public financial management systems, specifically the timely submission of the Annual Investment Program (AIP) to the City Planning Office. “Only barangays with AIP will be given priority in funding due to limited budget,” Climaco said. The City Budget Office said at least 42 barangays have no AIP. (Zamboanga Post)
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The Zamboanga Post
August 19-25, 2019
The Oldest Chabacano Text Ever Found! Continued from page 1 under the new government. The following Chabacano dialogues that you are about to read are from the oldest known text in Chabacano (de Zamboanga). These Chabacano dialogues were taken from a manuscript which is actually just part of a larger one which describes the culture of Mindanao. The manuscript was discovered by Mauro Fernandez who is a linguistics professor at the University of La Coruña (Spain), and he has graciously shared these dialogues with me. He presented them at a congress in Stockholm in June 2017. I sincerely thank him for allowing me to publish these dialogues which are a very important part of Zamboanga’s history. He believes that all Zamboangueños have the right to gain access to these dialogues (and not just scholars) in order to have a better understanding of their identity and more pride in their heritage. He is currently preparing a more thorough scholarly article on these dialogues which will contain an in-depth analysis. For me, it is amazing not only to be able to read a conversation from those days in Chabacano, but also to be able to catch a glimpse on how people back then viewed current events and daily life. It is a rare opportunity to have a trustworthy, real picture of what life was like back then. This is better than a newspaper article or a diary; this is reality presented in an unbiased way. The first dialogue has four characters (two children and their parents) in an early-morning domestic life scene. We see two sleepy heads being woken up by their mother to go to school and a housewife directing a household to prepare for the day ahead. Ticang (mother): Ache, Ache… Ache (daughter): Nay. ( = “OK.”, “Yes.”) Ticang: Disperta ya para cusi cape. Endo, Endo… Endo (son): Nay. Ticang: Disperta ya tamen vos para anda compra desayuno. Endo: Cosa-cosa nay ( = emphatic particle) ay compra? Ticang: O, un peseta. Compra vos cuatro cen de bibinca, dos cen de poto, cinco cen de polvos de cape y cuatro cen de dulce; ay volve pa con vos cinco cen. Hace vos pronto cay ay anda pa vos tata na trabajo. Endo: Nay… Ache: Cucido ya nay el cape. Ticang: Na, entonces recoge ya el cama pate muda ya vos para anda na misa y na escuela. Ache: Nay. Etong (father): Ticang? Ticang: Cosa? Etong: Luego manda vos mi comida alla na casa de aquel chino si Panga, cay alla yo ay trabaja ahora. Ticang: Oo. Endo: Taqui ya nay el desayuno. Ticang: Na, entonces arregla ya camo pronto-pronto para anda na escuela y desayuna ya. Ache: Si Tatay, donde ya? Ticang: Talla abajo, ta amola su bolo; anda, llama, habla taqui ya el desayuno. (They eat breakfast). Camo dos, antes de anda na escuela, pasa anay na iglesia ui misa, ha?; cay quita cristiano; y mas que el presidente ya prohibi de anda na iglesia con el maga bata, anda camo siempre, cay camo gende ay asfixia alla. Primero Dios que nadie. Ya ui camo? Ache & Endo: Nay. (after eating breakfast) Anda ya came, nay. Ticang: Oo. Etong: No olvida vos, Ticang, manda mi comida, ha? (they go out) The first thing that you’ll probably notice is how funny the names of these people are. But I guess this was how names were during that time (Ache could be the word for elder sister (ate), or the nickname for Ignacia). We’ll also notice that they “cook” their coffee instead of just “making” it. I asked my uncle about polvos de cafe and he said that that is grounded coffee beans and it is drunk mostly by people who live in rural areas. He said that it is still sold today in markets in Zamboanga City, although most people nowadays drink instant coffee. Another thing that we’ll notice in this conversation is the usage of Spain’s Spanish word desayuno (breakfast). The word desayuno is rarely used in Chabacano. I’m not sure if the usage of this word was widespread during those days. I asked my uncle about this word and he said that he knows the word and its meaning but that it is probably used only by people who also speak or know some Spanish. Even Camins’s dictionary does not have the word desayuno; only Santos’s dictionary has this word. The word used in mainstream Chabacano for breakfast is almuerzo (the same as in Mexican Spanish). We will see later on, in the next dialogues, that there is a high probability of Ticang being able to speak (or at least having formally studied) Spanish.
Coffee with poto (puto) and bibinca (bibingka) was probably common breakfast fare in those days, but what I couldn’t understand was the word dulce. It may be a type of sweetener for coffee, because bibinca and poto are already sweet and so it doesn’t make sense to have dessert after eating them. Today, we use the word azucar for sugar. A peseta was equivalent to 20 centavos. My uncle said that he can recall the word peseta still being used when he was a kid. I’m not sure when the peseta was abolished but it was still probably in use back then (even after it was abolished) as a synonym for twenty centavos, since the cost of normal everyday products back then was only a few centavos each. Notice that nay can be like OK, yes, or it can be an emphatic particle: Ache: Nay. ( = “OK.”, “Yes.”) […] Endo: Cosa-cosa nay ( = emphatic particle) ay compra? The interjection o comes from the Portuguese, in which o is a shortened version of olha (look), and it is used to get people’s attention to look at something (look!), but it can also be used for persuasion or emphasis. Another peculiarity we can observe in the dialogue is the phrase hace vos pronto, which may be an archaic way of saying apura vos. Ay volve pa con vos cinco cen means “five centavos will still be returned to you”, but the word volve in today’s Chabacano does not mean anymore to return (something); it usually means to go back (home). We now use the word devolve for to return (something). While Chabacano dictionaries will tell you that volve also means to return (something) besides to go back (home), there are only a few people today who are aware of this other meaning. In the conversation between the mother Ticang and the father Etong, we see the word manda (to send) which was also probably used only by people who were acquainted with Spanish. It is unclear, though, if this was used interchangeably with the modern Chabacano equivalent (which is envia) knowing that this word was (is) Spanish and not Chabacano. Growing up, I’ve always known si as a formal or polite way of saying yes, and, in this dialogue, we observe that, as far back as the early 20th Century, oo was the way to answer in the affirmative in informal situations. We also see that parents used vos and kamo with their kids and with each other. Unfortunately, the dialogue doesn’t show what kids used with their parents. In my mom’s family, I observed that the parents used vos with their kids as well as elder siblings with the younger ones. Meanwhile, the children used uste with their parents as well as younger siblings with the older ones. In the last part of the dialogue, we see Ticang asking her kids to pass by the church to hear mass before going to school, even though this was prohibited by the president (of the Zamboanga republic). I guess that, for the revolutionaries back then, the Catholic church was the symbol of the Spanish yoke, and, therefore, going to mass was prohibited. In this part of the conversation, we also see an expression that is clearly Spanish, primero Dios que nadie. Mas que means although, even though. Mas que, somehow, came from old Spanish (in today’s Spanish, aunque), and this is where the Chabacano masquin comes from. My uncle says that people still say mas que in Chabacano, although I think that these people are probably old timers. The word asfixia means to suffocate, and I’m not sure whether this was used a lot in those days. Today, I think the better known word is sufoca. I asked my uncle about the expression prohibi+de+verb, and he said that this is used up to today (although I have not heard anyone using it). An example of sentence that we can make with this expression is ya prohibi de maneja coche con el maga borracho (the drunk were prohibited from driving). Now let’s talk about the different ways of calling your parents in Zamboanga. I heard Mamang and Papang, Mama and Papa, Mommy and Daddy, but never Nanay and Tatay. So it’s probably safe to conclude that this way of calling parents does not exist anymore, although I know that this continues to exist in other provinces. In the next dialogue, we will see how the ordinary Filipino felt about the Philippine revolution. I think it was in a film titled El Presidente where I saw that there were people complaining about Katipuneros taking away their rice. In our history books we really don’t get to read about whether the Philippine revolution was popular among the people to whom it would have mattered the most, the Filipinos. It is also important to remember that the revolution that we studied in school never dealt with the revolution in the various parts of the archipelago. In fact, the revolution that we read about in history books was known as the Tagalog
war against / among the Spaniards. The next dialogue will also show us how the Americans suppressed the dominant religion and the Spanish language in the archipelago during that time. I bet that you never read that happening in your history book. I was at first confused by the presence of the Americans in the manuscript. The dialogues imply that the Zamboanga republic and the Americans coexisted during the time when this manuscript was written. I initially thought that the Presidente being talked about was General Vicente Alvarez, and, from my reading, he was Presidente of the Zamboanga republic only until 1899. But, according to the Wikipedia article on the Zamboanga republic, it looks like the Republic became a puppet government of the Americans in 1899, and, in March 1901, the Americans allowed the Republic to hold elections in which Mariano Arquiza was elected president. In the next dialogue we also see people complaining about taxes and airing their grievances to a civil commission (most probably the Taft commission). Buchang: Buenos dias, ñora Ticang. Ticang: Buenos dias, ñora. Subi uste. Buchang: Ay! Temprano pa gayot ya bene yo aqui con uste. Ticang: Na, na amo man. Cosa ba aquel? Buchang: Ay! Ñora Ticang! Ta habla yo con uste como hermana, anoche mal cenar gayot came. Ticang: Na porque man? Buchang: No hay gayot came ni un chiquito. Ticang: No hay ba trabajo el de uste marido? Buchang: Tiene, ñora, pero cuanto lang aquel su tres reales de jornal, palta pa para na comida lang. Ticang: Gende pa ba ustedes ta corta el sementera? Buchang: Gende pa, ñora, pero maga cuatro dia pa puede ya man curta. Este pa maga gente ta espia lang, que no hay quien ta bisia el sementera ta anda sila curta. Ticang: Ay, de veras; con este tiempo de hambre, si no ustedes bisia gayot gende man ustedes ya pode aprovecha nada. Buchang: Ay, ñora, por eso si Candoy, todo el noche alla ta durmi na sementera; y con todo ese anteanoche cinco gente gayot estaba ta hace sangut el palay, y al gritar canila si Candoy, duru y parejo gayot sila cas-cas. Ticang: Ay! Cosa ya man gane este tiempo! Nunca gayot ya observa carestia como ahora ni ya subi el precio del ganta del arroz hasta cuatro reales. Buchang: Quilaya uste, cuando el tiempo del Republica ta decomisa todo el arroz y no hay pa pode sembra ninguno cay no sabe pa quita aquel si quilaya ba quita ay queda. Ticang: Ay, de veras! Cosa ya tiempo aquel! Ni no hay mas respeta ni el maga iglesia, cay todo gayot ya saquea. Buchang: Si, ñora, hasta el maga tela colorao, el maga cinta, el maga galon ya hace divisa-divisa el maga militar del Republica. Ticang: Ay bueno lang si ese; ya saca-saca el maga vestido del Padre, el maga muebles y hasta maga alajas. Jesus, Maria y Jose! Ta profana gayud sila todo, por eso gende na ta sale el castigo de Dios aqui na Zamboanga. Buchang: Sila cuidao; sabe uste, ta para gayot mi pelo cada vez acorda yo todo el que ya pasa. Ticang: Cosa man. Buchang: Na, yo ya bini gayot para suplica con uste, si puede anay dale presta conmigo cinco peso, hasta acaba lang el corta del de amon sementera. Ticang: Si, ñora; para ese lang, cosa ba, tiene ba uste que hace compra? Buchang: Gende, ñora; ay paga lang came el contribucion del sementera con el alcalde. Ticang: Ay, ta cobra gane, no? Buchang: Si, ñora. Ticang: No ba ustedes reclama? Buchang: Ya reclama yo, ñora, con el mismo alcalde, pero gende man ele ta hace caso. Ticang: Ay yo ya reclama con el mismo presidente, que no puede came paga ese dos por ciento de contribucion. Buchang: Na cosa man ya habla con uste? Ticang: No hay man aquel habla nada, y habla lang ele que todo el mundo tiene que pagar ansina dao. Buchang: Si sigue este ansina, ay perece man el pueblo. Ticang: Na cosa man; el maga gente aburrido ya gane con ese contribucion, y ta ui yo habla con el maga gente que preparao dao alli algunos para reclama con el Comision Civil si bene. Buchang: Ay bene dao gane, no? Ticang: Ay bene dao, ñora. Buchang: Na cosa man dao sila ay habla? Ticang: Ay suplica dao sila que mengua el cuota del contribucion, si puede, cay el pueblo ahora pobre demasiao por causa del apizootia y del incendio. Buchang: Ñora Ticang, ta manda uste pa na escuela
August 19-25, 2019
The Zamboanga Post
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The Oldest Chabacano Text Ever Found! con el de uste anac? Ticang: Ta manda, ñora, cay si falta dao na escuela ay multa dao. Buchang: Pues yo no hay mas manda con mi anac tiene ya un semana. Ticang: Porque man? Buchang: Cay el maga maestro no quiere mas dao manda aprende catecismo pate el maga libro español; y todo el libro que tenia, tanto de religion como el de lengua español, ya recoge ya dao y no quiere mas manda lleva na escuela. Ticang: Ansina ya, cay no quiere dao el maga americano; quiere lang que aprende ingles el maga bata. Buchang: Na ya mira ya uste ese? Todas las cosas esta sucede ahora el que gende uno ta pensa. Ticang: Ay, de veras, y no sabe pa quita el que de bene. Buchang: Na, ñora Ticang, ay anda ya yo. Ticang: Ñora; o, talli ese cinco peso. Buchang: Muchas gracias lang con ustedes. In the first part, we see that good morning was still buenos dias at that time, and not the buenas dias that we now say. We also see that, instead of saying come in, the host says come up. This was probably because houses in those days were built on stilts in rural areas, and stone houses in cities or towns normally had two storeys (floors), the second storey housing the living area and bedrooms, and the ground floor serving as a stable for horses, a kitchen, and/ or a warehouse. Thus, it was in the second storey that one would normally entertain visitors at that time. The word na is often used as a way of starting a sentence (like Pues; or, in English, Well, So, Then, And), but it can also have other meanings (e.g. ya). The word chiquito I know that it exists in Caviteño and it means small. In this conversation we see that the word chiquito is used more or less to mean the same thing. This word is in Camins’s dictionary, but it’s not used that much anymore in contemporary Chabacano de Zamboanga. The expression ta habla yo con uste como hermano / hermana means I’m speaking to you, not as a stranger, but as a brother / sister. There are only a few people using this expression in today’s Chabacano. The Philippine real was the currency in use until 1852 when the peso was introduced at the rate of eight reales to one peso. The three reales in the conversation would have been equivalent to 0.37 pesos, less than half a peso. And the word jornal (daily wage) is a word that is not used very much today; Chabacano speakers today simply say sueldo. 1901 must have been a very difficult time for the people of Zamboanga, who were experiencing severe hunger and inflation. We even see in the dialogue that there were people who would go as far as stealing palay. I don’t think the usage of the word corta to mean “to harvest” is still used nowadays. It is possible, though, that it is still known among people who own rice fields. The word sementera is still used today, although younger people, especially those who grew up in urban neighborhoods, probably don’t know it. We also see how religiously-minded people were during those days, saying that Zamboanga was being punished for all the disrespectful deeds that the military of the Republic committed against the churches. The Catholic churches during those days, with their cura parroco, were probably the symbol of the Spanish yoke and thus they absorbed the brunt of the anger of the revolutionaries. In the conversations above, we can also see the frequent usage of the expression al+verb (in its Spanish infinitive form). In present day Chabacano, I’m not sure this is still used. What I tend to hear is the expression al+Chabacano verb (e.g. al abaja, al come, al senta, etc). One of the things that surprised me in that dialogue was the widespread usage of hende / gende, na, kamo, sila, kame, kay, man, gayot / gayod, bisia, sanggut and other words from different Philippine languages, even during those times. I mistakenly thought that people during those times spoke a Chabacano which was almost Spanish. But, of course, as expected, this old Chabacano is not influenced and corrupted by English as today’s Chabacano is. In the same dialogue we see Ticang and Buchang criticizing the revolutionaries. Initially I didn’t understand the words saquea (to loot), cinta (ribbon), and divisa (insignia), but Mauro Fernandez graciously explained them to me, and it turns out that those are Spanish words. The Chabacano profana (to desecrate) is not in the Chabacano dictionaries that I have, nor could it be identified by the Chabacano speakers whom I know. The word carestia is still in use these days, but only by a few people. Ui habla obviously comes from the Spanish oir hablar (to hear talk / speak); this is not in use anymore today. De bene (will happen or will come) sounds like Ternateño and Caviteño. In those variants, the future tense marker is de ( = ay).
In the dialogue, we see the usage of pode alongside puede. I think the word pode is no longer used these days, and only puede exists. The phrase todo el mundo to mean everybody comes from Spanish, and is not used anymore today. Today we say todo‘l gente. The same can be said for the expression tiene+que+Spanish verb infinitive; today we say necesita+Chabacano verb. I also noticed that, in the conversation above, que was always used to mean “that” (e.g. ya habla si Buchang que…), whereas today we normally say kay or na. It appears that, in those days, there was a more obvious distinction between kay (because) and que (than / that), as in Spanish. The dialogue also talks about the taxes being imposed by the Republic on its citizens. Based on the conversation, we could conclude that people were being asked to pay a tax of 2%, which was why Buchang was asking Ticang for a five-peso loan. The same dialogue also talks about school attendance during that time. As you probably have guessed, the word falta in the conversation means to be absent. I am not sure if this meaning of falta is still in use today, but the common meaning of falta is to lack (something), in present-day Chabacano. Some people also use this word to mean to do something bad to someone (e.g. No hay gane yo con vos falta, I never did anything wrong to you). In Spanish, the word faltar can mean to be absent (e.g. from work or school). What was surprising to me was the mention of a “penalty” if you didn’t send your kids to school. But, then again, the entire Philippine Islands was under martial law during the American occupation, and let’s not forget the Balangiga massacre. The third dialogue is about Ticang going to the house of a man who had supposedly hit her child. When she arrives, she doesn’t find him, but she talks about what had happened to the daughter of that man. In the end, she realizes that there was a misunderstanding and she tells his daughter not to tell her father about her coming to the house. — Ñora? — Donde vos tata? — No hay aqui, ñora. — Donde ele? — Ya anda na sementera, dos sila de manang. — Ya bene yo aqui cay tiene yo reclamo con ele. — Cosa de uste reclamo? — Ya pega dao con aquel de mio anac. — Quien ta habla con uste? — Quien ta habla conmigo? Pues aquel de mio bata; ta sube na casa de amon, ta yora, yora; pati colorao pa aquel de suyo cara; cay ya dale dao con ele palmada; ha, porque ansina ele conmigo? Pobre, tambien, aquel de mio anac, si no hay ele culpa; ta bisia dao aquel de amon carabao, e cay descuida un poco lang, ya entra, dao, na de iño palay, y ta come un poquito lang; cuatro, lang dao, o cinco bilog; y ya anda alla vos tata, ya acaba, dao, todo el malo sale de su boca, y despues ta dale soco con ele, pate palmada pa; cosa ese? si tiene reclamo, porque no ta visa conmigo? para puede yo castiga con ele? — No uste incomoda, ñora Ticang, cay tiene culpa siempre aquel de uste anac: ta juga, juga siempre con Andoy, aquel de suyo uban, y no ta pensa mas con el carabao, y ta entra na de amon semillero, y todo, todo ya echa perde; ya llega ya si Tatay; cosa? gindi ba incomoda con tanto perjuicio? ya regaña ele; pero no hay pega palmada; ta mira yo; ya dale lang con la mano na espalda. — De modo que el carabao ta tropea el semillero? — Si, ñora; poco gani el que ya come; pero mucho gayot el que ya echa perde. — Ah, si yo sabe que ansina, gindi man era yo ay bene aqui. Bueno; no mas camo habla con vos tata que ta reclama yo, ha? — Gindi, ñora. — Adios. — Adios. In the dialogue above we see the word siempre being used in two ways. One to mean always (this is actually not being used anymore), and the other one to mean still (which is very much in use today). The third meaning of siempre is of course (as in Tagalog). According to Lipski’s research in Chabacano / Spanish and the Philippine linguistic identity, Zamboanga was the most Spanish-speaking area in the Philippines in the mid-19th Century. It is highly probable then that Spanish existed alongside Chabacano in Zamboanga City during the times when this text was written. Today, when we speak Chabacano it is difficult not to slip in some English and Filipino words. A similar process was also the case during those times. People spoke Chabacano, slipping in some Spanish from time
to time (code switching and borrowing words). People in those times may have been conscious of this phenomenon and could identify which were actual Spanish and Chabacano words. Today, though, nobody can tell. Some expressions or words which are actually Spanish may just be identified as traditional Chabacano or Chabacano hondo instead of Spanish. The final dialogue takes place when Endo and Ache come back home from school and Ticang is preparing the family’s meal. Endo: Nay! Nay! ( = emphatic particle) Ticang: Cosa? Endo: O, ya dale canamon el maestro cartilla de ingles. Ticang: Na para cosa man sirve ese caniño? Endo: Na para sabe conversa ingles. Ache: Ay nay? ( = emphatic particle) Ticang: Cosa? Ache: Na escuela ba, ya quita el cruz pate todo el maga cartel de español. Ticang: Na porque man? Ache: Cay ya manda dao el maga americano. Pate ya habla pa dao que no mas reza-reza na escuela ni antes ni al acabar de lee. Ticang: Na, cosa quita pode hace? El que manda, manda. Pero camo no olvida siempre con Dios, ha? y siempre que puede, anda camo na misa y alli reza camo de corazon y pidi con la Virgen para ampara canaton, ha? Endo & Ache: Nay. ( = “OK.”, “Yes.”) Etong: Cusido ya alli? Ticang: Oo, Endo! Ache! Echa ya camo la comida. (The food is served) Present-day Chabacano compared to 1901 Chabacano Here are some Chabacano sentences that I took from the text, and their contemporary Chabacano versions. 1901 Chabacano: Hace vos pronto cay ay anda pa vos tata na trabajo. Contemporary Chabacano: Apura vos (or pronto vos) cay ay anda pa vos (or de vos) tata na trabajo. 1901 Chabacano: Luego manda vos mi comida alla na casa de aquel chino si Panga, cay alla yo ay trabaja ahora. Contemporary Chabacano: Luego lleva vos mi comida alla na casa de aquel chino si Panga, kay alla yo ay trabaja ahora. 1901 Chabacano: No ba ustedes reclama? Contemporary Chabacano: Hende ba ustedes (ay) reclama? 1901 Chabacano: No hay man aquel habla nada, y habla lang ele que todo el mundo tiene que pagar ansina dao. Contemporary Chabacano: No hay man aquel ele cosa ya habla, ya habla lang ele que todo’l gente necesita daw paga conese. 1901 Chabacano: Pues yo no hay mas manda con mi anac tiene ya un semana. Contemporary Chabacano: Pues yo no hay mas manda entra na escuela con mi anak tiene ya un semana. 1901 Chabacano: Na, cosa quita pode hace? El que manda, manda. Pero camo no olvida siempre con Dios, ha? Y siempre que puede, anda camo na misa y alli reza camo de corazon y pidi con la Virgen para ampara canaton, ha? Contemporary Chabacano: Na cosa kita puede hace? El cosa sila manda, ay segui kita. Pero no gayod kamo olvida con el Dios, ha? Y cuando puede, anda kamo na misa y alla reza kamo con corazon y pedi con la Virgen para dale proteccion canaton, ha? Ampara meaning “to protect” is not used much today, and since I wanted to write a contemporary version, I used dale proteccion. Siempre que puede means “whenever you can”, and it is not being used nowadays either. According to Mauro Fernandez, a Jesuit priest called Jose Clos (who wrote the language section of the entire manuscript) asked a Chabacano speaker to write down the dialogues found in the manuscript. The current copy that Mauro Fernandez has is actually just a copy of the original text sent to Manila from Zamboanga. Some parts were difficult to decipher and thus we see some errors in the transcription. I took the liberty of changing some words which didn’t fit the context and replaced them by ones which I deemed were more appropriate. The spelling used in the manuscript was Spanish. All accent marks were removed and the spelling of certain words was changed to make them easier to read. Reference: Fernández, Mauro (2017). Los primeros textos en chabacano de Zamboanga Paper presented at the ACBLPE Conference, Stockholm University, June 2017 (By Jerome Herrera, revised by Juan Valverde. This article is from https://bienchabacano.blogspot.com)
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The Zamboanga Post
August 19-25, 2019
Across : 1. Legendary stories 6. Uno 9. Pig’s pad 12. Box 13. Business VIP 14. Pitching stat 15. Church walkway 16. Burst of bad temper 18. California wine valley 19. Make lace 20. Epochs 21. Caveman’s era (2 wds.) 24. Concurrence 27. Time past 30. ___ Witherspoon of “Sweet Home Alabama” 31. Had 33. And so forth (abbr.) 34. Proposed as a candidate 38. Renovator 40. Pub drinks 42. Shade 43. Stood up 47. Childhood diseases 49. Golfer ___ Woods 50. Bathroom rug 51. Tax org. 52. ___ eclipse 53. Lyric verse 54. Compass dir. 55. Printing machine
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August 19-25, 2019
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The Zamboanga Post
Paseo del Mar undergoes rehab
On-going rehabilitation project at Paseo del Mar being undertaken by the local government. (Kathy Wee Sit) Continued from page 1 “Real gat se si Beng y bueno tambien cay mucho proyectos adentro del Paseo (del Mar),” said Tita Ispiritusanto. “Antes aqui man kame todo ta pacia, pero ahora talla maga bata quierre alla na KCC (Mall) cay frio y mucho tambien restaurants. Ta anda kame ahora aqui na Paseo si Domingo noche despues del misa na Fort Pilar.” Mayor Beng Climaco, who previously promised to rehabilitate the park, also mentioned this during her speech at the
maiden session of the City Council in July. “Ta continua el rehabilitation del diatun maga parque y center islands na R.T. Lim Boulevard y na Paseo del Mar bajo na diatun Green, Green, Green Program junto con el DBM (Department of Budget and Management),” she said. The park was built during the administration of Mayor Celso Lobregat and it became an instant tourist attraction because of the many restaurants and the view of the setting sun and its musically gy-
rating fountain. But the fountain also attracted criticisms due to its high construction cost reaching some P27 million, and park goers had to shell out P10 to buy a seat around it. Climaco said her administration will continue to rehabilitate and develop the Paseo del Mar so residents could enjoy the new amenities at the park. The rehabilitation project is being undertaken by a private contractor and supervised by the City Engineer’s Office. (Zamboanga Post)
Zamboanga Expo brings home P86-M
Zamboanga City Councilors Crisanto de la Cruz, Jihan Edding and BG Guingona during the “2019 Zamboanga Peninsula Exposition” held at the Megatrade Hall, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. The exposition brought home over P86 million in sales by 110 exhibitors from the cities of Zamboanga and Isabela, and the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay. (Photo by Claire Pesebre) IT WAS LITERALLY a homerun for Zamboanga in the recent “2019 Zamboanga Peninsula Exposition” held at the Megatrade Hall, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City. The exposition brought home over P86 million in sales by 110 exhibitors from the cities of Zamboanga and Isabela, and the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur and Zamboanga Sibugay. The City Government of Zamboanga had over 50 Zamboangueño exhibitors who participated in the 5-day event organized by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Agriculture and Department of Tourism.
The exposition, according to Mayor Beng Climaco, was aimed at promoting locally-made products of micro, small and medium entrepreneurs in the Zamboanga region. Zamboanga City hosted the opening day of the event and visitors were amazed by the different exhibits and culinary cuisines from the region. The aroma of the Pianggang Manok, a traditional Tausug cuisine, by Zamboangueño chef Miguel Moreno, owner of Palm Grill, also attracted a lot of visitors. Zamboanga City kicked off the evening with a cultural presentation by the Jambangan Dance Compa-
ny. Climaco was represented by Councilors Crisanto de la Cruz, Jihan Edding and BG Guingona. Tourism Assistant Secretary Myra Paz Abubakar and Zamboanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Pocholo Soliven were also at the exposition. The City’s Special Events Team headed by Christian Olasiman launched the 2019 Zamboanga Hermosa Festival, highlight of which was the presentation of the first Compressport Hermosa Triathlon, which is slated on October 13 and organized by the Fuerza Multisport in collaboration with the Zamboanga City Government. (Zamboanga Post)
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August 19-25, 2019
Beng warns erring private contractors, files charges vs. 5 people M AYOR BENG CLIMACO has told private contractors doing business with the local government to strictly follow engineering designs and use quality materials and follow construction standards to ensure structural integrity and quality works. Climaco’s statement who heads the City Legal Maintenance Division; Sancame after the local govern- Office, filed charges in court tiago T. Solis Jr., project enment filed charges against a against Victor Q. Ramos, gineer; and Sherwin Alan R. private contractor and his owner and manager of Lam- Rabago, chief of Materials project engineer, including itan VJ’s Construction and Quality Control Division, all 3 engineers working for the Supplies that constructed of the City Engineer’s Office. City Government over the the covered court; and his The accused were facing June 24 collapse of the cov- project engineer Dominador charges of reckless impruered court at the Sinubong C. Benzal. Also charged were dence resulting in multiple National High School. Engineers Romeo P. Hiso, slight physical injuries and Lawyer Jesus Carbon chief of Construction and damage to property.
The local government awarded the construction of the covered court amounting to P4,166,599 to Lamitan VJ’s Construction and Supplies and was completed in No-
vember last year. But in June, the covered court collapsed under heavy rains and injured 10 students. The students, ages 14 to 15, suffered bruises and
were rushed to hospital, according to Leida Penaflorida, a teacher at the Sinubong National High School. “It was raining hard and then we heard some-
More CCTVs, X-ray machines for Zambo bus terminal THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT is set to install surveillance cameras and additional X-ray baggage scanners at the Zamboanga City Integrated Bus Terminal as part of security upgrade and improvements to the facilities to ensure safety of travellers. Rafael Derick Evangelista III, the Supervising Transportation Regulation Officer, said the premier bus terminal in Barangay Divisoria is currently undergoing improvements in both the infrastructure aspect and streamlining of processes and procedures to boost its revenues and subsequently to better serve the public. He said these include the construction of covered court and installation of iron grills to reinforce the perimeter fence around the terminal. The improvements at the rest rooms are also scheduled this year. The projects are being supervised by the City Engineer’s Office. Evangelista also re-
Zamboanga Mayor Beng Climaco looks at the metal structures of the covered court at the Sinubong National High School after its collapse. (Kathy Wee Sit)
Mayor Beng Climaco talks to a personnel manning the X-ray baggage scanner at the Zamboanga City Integrated Bus Terminal in Barangay Divisoria. ported a spike in revenues for July. Considered as an all-time record high, he said the collection for parking services reached over P172,000 as against to only P88,860 in July 2018. The bus terminal’s general income for July totalled P1,613,466 as compared to the same period last year with only P1,388,025. “The big leap in the collection was due to the close coordination and joint efforts of the City Treasurer’s Office and the
Integrated Bus Terminal,” Evangelista said. Mayor Beng Climaco, whose priority program includes safety and security, lauded the collection efforts of Integrated Bus Terminal where provincial buses and passenger vans ply between Zamboanga and other key cities in Mindanao such as Dapitan, Dipolog, Pagadian, Cagayan de Oro, Iligan and Davao, among other areas in the South. (Zamboanga Post)
thing on the roof, then suddenly the whole roof collapsed,” she said, adding, the students, mostly Grade 9, were at the covered court because rains were sipping in their classrooms. “We are just thankful that nobody died from the accident, but some suffered bruises. At least six students were rushed to the hospital for treatment,” Penaflorida said. Village chieftain Eric Casipe blamed the project contractor for the collapse of the covered court. “I already forewarned the contractor that the covered court looks unsafe and now this happened,” he said. The roof collapsed from its seam in the middle of the covered court after its steel beams gave way to the weight of the rainwater. Climaco, who was angry at the incident, ordered an investi-
gation into the collapse of the covered court and said the local government will file the necessary charges against erring contractors, including city government personnel accountable for incidents like this, resulting from inferior quality projects. Climaco directed Carbon to ensure enforcement of liability of contractors under applicable laws and contractual obligations with the local government, specifically on damages incurred to life and property. On Climaco’s order, the City Engineer’s Office immediately conducted an inspection of the covered court and discovered that “all joints were not fully welded and the web members of the steel trusses were not welded to the gusset instead to the top and bottom chord, which basically was a deviation from the approved plans.”
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“Also, the supposed mid-joint/apex of the trusses were fabricated and installed not in accordance with the approved plans. As a result, the project was done with poor workmanship and not in accordance with the approved plans.” City Engineer Chris Navarro said the covered court project is a result of “poor workmanship” with the contractor not abiding with plans and specifications. Early this year, Climaco ordered the City Engineer Office and the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office and the City Administrator Office to coordinate with the Department of Education to thoroughly inspect the quality of all infrastructure projects and ensure intensified enforcement of the building code. (Zamboanga Post)