By: Kai Niklas V. Kalden
“Bisaya nga naman…” a phrase that is becoming common today that we can see on social media, online games, and sometimes even in public. The growing stigma against Bisaya people is becoming more and more prevalent, especially in the age of technology. Today, the language spoken by the few is unjustly being cast as a sign of inferiority.
Stigmas exist due to differences in experience, culture, and age. In the context of the Bisaya and Tagalog, it is clear that there is a vast difference between them. Bisaya is from the south; this is the primary language of Davao, Cebu, and the majority of Mindanao. Yet the proper term for Bisaya is actually “Cebuano”, reflecting the origins of the language of less urbanized cities that primarily use Bisaya compared to Luzon. People's tone when speaking the language is also different; it is spoken in a harsh tone, and it is abrupt and loud, reflecting how people see them as noisy and unruly. However, if we think about Tagalog in the same context, it isn’t the same. It is the language of the country; it is taught in every stage of education, a prerequisite to pass. The tone difference is also there; people who speak Tagalog are usually soft-spoken; they talk slowly and calmly. These differences are the causes of the stigmas against people who speak Bisaya.
The phrases we see in our country that project a bad light towards people who are Bisaya are now becoming more and more common. “Galawang Bisaya” refers to people who act weird or out of the ordinary. “Pormang Bisaya” is used towards people who wear clothes out of fashion, subjectively but widely agreed upon as ugly. And just the term “Bisaya” is now being used against people who are “blind to common knowledge,” it is now becoming a synonym for “dumb” or “clueless.” These phrases are so common that we see them used in social media apps like TikTok, Facebook, and Twitter/X. People who play video games will encounter it being used when someone makes a bad play, “Parang Bisaya kapag makapaglaro,” “parang bisakol,” and “bai na bai,” it is slowly becoming a stereotype that causes harm. With it, some people will reject their heritage because of the everyday use of Bisaya as an insult.
This also reflects how our country is becoming more tolerant of racism. When people use Bisaya as an insult, they see them as someone below them, inferior, or worth less than them. It is almost at the point where it is becoming racist; the stigma is slowly becoming a stereotype, and this is harmful in the long run. When stereotypes become prevalent in a community, they make people judge who they are in terms of race, skin color, gender, and sexuality. If this happens, it will cause people to believe in these stereotypes even if it isn’t true, causing harm to cultural interconnectivity and also making the gap between two groups larger.
Furthermore, when cultural divides and differences become more apparent in the community, people become even more distant. If people become distant, we will lose the rich culture of our country. We will slowly lose our identities as Filipinos. This is because we Filipinos don’t share just one culture and follow it, but hundreds of it and how it is connected to our history. If we begin to think people who speak a language are inferior, our national identity will be at risk.
In the end, we must close the gap between cultures, not extend it. We must accept people for their differences, not just what we have in common. As Filipinos, we may speak different languages, practice diverse cultures, and uphold unique traditions, but we are all united by the same heritage. With this, we must learn to accept that language will always be different among cultures, and we cannot change that.
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