My road to #Sawikaan2014

The great Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran once said, “Words are timeless. You should utter them or write them with a knowledge of their timelessness.”

And beauty can be timeless too, yes? So beautiful words can be timeless, as verses of poetry are.

The essence and dynamics of words fascinate me. I won’t even go near the adage, "The pen is mightier than the sword." Because I already know that words can kill. Look at the cases of suicide triggered by bullying. Words can ruin one’s reputation. It can destroy one’s self-worth. Look at the cases of domestic violence. It even happens in the workplace. You can count the bruises, but verbal abuse and continuous criticism are hard to measure.

On the other hand, words can heal. Words can expose an oppressive regime. Words can lead to a revolution. Charles Chaplin once joked, “Words are cheap. The biggest thing you can say is 'elephant'.”

But actually, the biggest thing that one can say is "Maghimagsik!"

Revolt.

I once heard from a National Artist for Literature that when the Spanish colonizers came, they attempted to destroy the physical evidence of our rich culture. They nearly destroyed everything—except our words. The resistance movement used words.

We have been using the power of words.

Anyone can join

I'd read about Salita ng Taon, and most of the writers I know had already joined the contest.

My impression was that it was just a fun activity for college professors who join the annual national conference on language organized by the Filipinas Institute of Translation—and anything to do with the magical world of the academe is not among the not-so-many things I do for a living or as a pastime or advocacy.

Until I came across the announcement at Panitikan.com.ph: Anyone interested in our native language/s could nominate a word they think deserves the respect and recognition to be this year’s Salita ng Taon.

Anyone means anybody; that includes yours truly.

That is, so long as you could submit a full paper defending the word you nominated.

Why should I try my luck at Sawikaan?

I started writing feature articles "seriously" when I was 16 as a feature contributor to Filipino Magasin. Winning the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF)’s Mananaysay ng Taon last year only meant one thing: that the judges thought my essay satisfied their criteria.

But since I don’t see myself as a college professor, at least not in the next few years, I don’t have a formal education on how to write a full paper. So I am still extremely worried about my APAs and MLAs. Following KWF’s Manwal sa Masinop na Pagsulat is also one of my concerns. And I use the phrase “kung saan” like a favorite expression.

This year, 14 people will present their nominated word for Salita ng Taon:

• Frederick Perez ("bossing"),
• Rebecca Añonuevo-Cuñada ("Filipinas"),
• Xavier Alvaran ("imba"),
• Christine Marie Magpile ("kalakal"),
• David Michael San Juan and John Kelvin Briones ("endo"),
• Jonathan Geronimo ("PDAF"),
• Luna Sicat-Cleto ("selfie"),
• John Enrico Torralba ("whistle blower"),
• Dr. Carlo Arcilla ("storm surge"),
• Joselito Delos Reyes ("riding-in-tandem"),
• Christoffer Cerda ("CCTV"),
• Jethro Tenorio ("peg"),
• Mark Benedict Lim ("target"),
• and yours truly ("hashtag").

Sawikaan 2014

The Salita ng Taon is chosen through a careful deliberation of the nominated words.

Sawikaan’s conference secretary Eilene Antoinette Narvaez told me that all the nominated words this year have been popular since last year. "Pantay-pantay kumbaga," she said. "Sa ngayon, maaaring maiinit o popular pa ring salita ang PDAF, selfie, at riding-in-tandem dahil sa social media at halos maya't maya e nasa balita...O maaari ring lumitaw ang peg, hashtag, CCTV na laganap din sa social network at TV. Kaya kailangan abangan ang presentasyon."

The Sawikaan conference takes place every two years. In 2012, San Juan won the grand prize with "wang-wang." Torralba (for "pagpag") and Delos Reyes (for "level-up") were runners-up.

Since they are my colleagues, I asked them about their experience with Salita ng Taon.

Q: Ano ang halaga ng Salita ng Taon?

San Juan: Ambag ang Sawikaan sa intelektwalisasyon ng Filipino. Inilalahad din nito ang mahahalagang pagbabagong panlipunan sa Pilipinas sa pamamagitan ng mga sumusulpot na salita.

Torralba: Sa akin bilang indibidwal, mahalaga sa akin ang Salita ng Taon dahil kahit paano ay nakaaambag ako sa pagpapapayaman ng wikang Filipino. Tanging mga Filipino lamang ang may kakayahan ang sarili niyang wika. Sa panahon ngayon, mahalaga na maging malay ang bawat Filipino sa halaga ng kaniyang papel sa wika.

Delos Reyes: Nabibigyan ng kahit papaano'y atensyon ang mga dumarating na "bagong” salita (though hindi naman talaga bago dahil karaniwan nang nananalo ay iyong mga salitang may malawak na kagamitan pero hindi pa napagtutunan ng pansin ng akademya at midya). Napag-aaralan at naitatanghal ang kaligiran at impluwensyang nagdulot sa mga salitang ito. Sa palagay ko nga, hindi lamang dapat sampu o labindalawa ang dapat na mapagtuunan ng pansin sa tatlong araw na kumperensiya. Higit sanang marami, kung maaaari nga, ang mananaliksik ay dapat na mag-present ng korpus ng mga salita.

Sa palagay ko kasi, ang nuance ng wika ay naka-confine na lamang sa akademya, tulad ng mga kumperensiya. Ang higit na kailangan ay ang involvement ng midya na siyang pangunahing tagapagpalaganap ng (bagong) salita sa madla.

Q: Ano ang inaasahan mong pagbabago sa Salita ng Taon ngayong taon?

San Juan: Wala akong tiyak na sagot na maibibigay. Ang napansin ko lang, mas marami yatang salitang finalist ngayon at halos lahat ay napaka-socially relevant.

Torralba: Ang nais ko sana ay magkaroon ng representasyon ang iba pang sektor sa pipili ng Salita ng Taon. At sana ay hindi lamang sa isang araw gagawin ang pagpili kung mas mahabang pang panahon. Siguro ay mga kalahati hanggang isang taon at hindi lamang sana ibatay sa papel ng nagtataguyod ng salita ang pagpili.

Delos Reyes: May politika ang wika, kaya inaasahan kong mula sa lawas ng maiinit na usaping pampulitika ang itatanghal na Salita ng Taon. Nariyan din ang mga salitang dulot ng teknolohiya at midya. Pero kung ako ang masusunod sa pagpili, sana ay iyong mga salitang nagmula sa malayong pali-paligid ng Maynila at itanghal na Salita ng Taon.

Through Salita ng Taon, we are opportuned to stand up for our advocacies. The Salita ng Taon is not the word we think should get bragging rights for this year, or any year for that matter, but the "chosen word" that the majority of the Filipinos—the enslaved and oppressed majority—use in their daily lives. — BM, GMA News

The author will be among the speakers at this year's Sawikaan: Pagpili ng Salita ng Taon, to be held from September 25 to 27 at Rizal Hall, College of Arts and Literature, University of the Philippines Diliman.

Illustrations by Analyn Perez