Viray: Names

WHEN I was young, if your name happened to be Martin, you were deemed to be villainous and a hateful person in the tradition of the character, Martin Marfil.

If your name is Bruno, you were supposed to be bald and ugly molded in the perception of Bruno Punzalan.

If your name is Max, you were cast to be a curse to society, selfish and crude like the roles played by Max Alvarado.

What a difference timing makes. Now, if your name is Martin, you are associated with Martin Nieverra, suave and handsome. He also has the voice of an angel and a Casanova to the beautiful ladies. Martin as a name, is no longer a liability but an asset.

Now, if your name is Bruno, you are grouped with Bruno Mars, an international singer. It is no longer an embarrassment to be known as Bruno since you are in the same mold as this genius artist.

If your name is Max, it sounds more like feminine as there are pretty ladies that answer the name of Maxi. Maxie is no longer an anathema to goodness but a pleasant endearment.

This piece brings me to the topic of naming our children Boy, Junior ad Sonny. Our daughters are given the names of Baby, Nene or even Ganda.

After sometime, Boy becomes a daddy boy. Soon, he becomes Lolo Boy. Is he still a boy?

In the same light, Junior becomes daddy Junior, before we know it he becomes a senior and he is called Lolo Junior. Sonny grows up to be a daddy Sonny and before we know it, he is granddad Sonny. Is Junior, a senior? Is Sonny a Grandpa?

Baby gets married so she is a Mother Baby and then she becomes a Grandma Baby. Nene goes to age of maturity so she becomes Mother Nene. Soon she steps into seniority only be known as Lola Nene.

Ganda is still ganda in her thirties of and forties but when she becomes wrinkled and old, she is not Lola Ganda any longer.

I know for one that the Mayor of San Fernando, Virgilio Sanchez used the monicker, Baby. He grew to be the father of the City known as Mayor Baby. Not only that his wife had the same nickname, Baby so she was also known as Mayora Baby.

Time changes. The name, Toni, Gabby and Danny are not exclusively names of the male gender anyone but this calls for another topic.