REACTIONS to what to many people was a slur supposedly uttered by former Miss Universe Gloria Diaz against Cebuanos seem to be on the verge of going overboard.
While the widespread criticism is justified, calls, say, to boycott her movies and declare her persona non grata are an overreaction even as these are un-implementable.
Diaz hasn’t been making movies in a while, and should she be pushed back to a plane if she visits Cebu?
Intention
It’s enough that Cebuanos have condemned her for the slur. The condemnation should already have helped enlighten the naive and ignorant in this country of the fact that in Cebu you will find some of the more intelligent Filipinos who are fluent in English as well.
Besides, one needs to consider context. It’s not that Diaz’s primary intention was to malign Cebuanos or that she’s launching an anti-Cebuano campaign.
She mentioned the Cebuanos only in support of her suggestion for the country’s future Miss Universe representatives to speak in the local language and use an interpreter.
It was a deplorable supporting argument but a mere supporting argument nevertheless.
Caricature
As for Cebuanos being caricatured in TV sitcoms as househelps with thick accents, one should note that the caricature is not as much Cebuano as it is Bisaya, which includes Ilonggos and Warays.
And it’s not limited to Bisaya; others, like the Batangeños and Chinese-Filipinos, are being caricatured as well. Meaning that the idiocy of brain-dead sitcom writers knows no bounds.
Here’s another sobering point: Some Cebuanos who have penetrated Tagalog filmmaking are themselves contributing to the perpetuation of that caricature.
In some instances, they are the ones playing the role of househelps, mouthing thick Cebuano accents even if they are fluent in Tagalog.
Problem
This is not to say that this situation is not objectionable and condemnable. It is.
But while Diaz’s statement may have contributed to the perpetuation of the caricature, that statement was itself a product of that caricature, having been influenced by it.
The problem is not Diaz but the setup that gave rise to this caricature. Let us therefore not be too harsh on her.