From Poor to Purita Bilbao

When I graduated from college, I was well-equipped with the language of mathematics and education. Yet, I found it difficult to adjust with the harsh realities of the world outside college. That is why I felt blessed to have known supportive friends in my first job.

My friends, Stephen and Ariane, are both godsends. We support and protect each other especially in dealing with parents and administrators. At the end of an exhausting day, we would share our problems and difficulties over a bowl of lomi. We just laughed at our problems and together we lifted our burdens. Somehow, our friendship turned out to be a group therapy.

My friends are both English teachers and they have a lot of common principles. Well, some of their beliefs are even against with what I learned at home. At the beginning, I felt like an outcast; nevertheless, I managed to adjust with the group without compromising my family values. My friends also managed to accept me for who I am. Thankful for not dealing with peer pressure, I also gave them the freedom to enjoy the activities that they are used to do.

Despite our differences, we share some common principles, favorites and even private language. I believe our private language made our work less stressful. I have learned to say “yayabels” to refer to our role as a maid-cum-yaya of rich students. We also have the word “shugsak” which means bagsak or failure. We would also say “Kurimaw” and “Tsikwang” when we refer to Koreans and Chinese, respectively. I believe “Kurimaw” is derived from the words Korean and halimaw (monster). Perhaps, “Tsikwang” is from the words Instik (Chinese) and aswang (witch).

Of all the interesting expressions that we have coined or adapted, I find the expression “Purita Bilbao” remarkable. If Stephen would ask, “How did your students perform in your exam?”, I would say, “Ay, Purita Bilbao gid” instead of saying “They performed poorly”. The word “poor” has evolved to “poorita” and eventually to “Purita Bilbao”.

Actually, Dr. Purita Bilbao is a highly respected educator of West Visayas State University. She was considered to be the university president and she was nominated to be one of the Metrobank Outstanding Teachers. Having been the author of several books, she could be considered as a highly intellectual person. However, in our private language, “Purita Bilbao” is exactly the opposite of the person bearing that name.

For us, the expression is used to gently say that someone is mangô (academically poor). It would be a blatant remark if we would say it in public that we have mangô students. Some educators even considered that remark to be a taboo since it degrades the student’s confidence and motivation to learn. Considering that we are expected to give positive reinforcements to our students, we would hide our honest opinion by saying “Purita Bilbao” instead of poor. It would make the remark less damaging. Instead, it would sound fun since the name is exactly opposite with what we mean. Some outsiders who know Ma’am Bilbao would most likely think that we are comparing our students to an intelligent person.

I can’t trace back where this expression originated from, but it is now a common expression especially among young teachers. Once, my friend, John, said that his classmate cannot cope with the teacher’s discussion and obviously a “Purita Bilbao”. His remark made May*, John’s friend, cringe. We wondered why only to find out that May* is Dr. Bilbao’s niece! That was really embarrassing, but the use of this expression still continues despite some of its possible negative effects.

Recalling our friendship and private language makes me feel some tinge of nostalgia. We no longer work in the same school. Ariane is happy balancing his teaching career and his parenting duties. Stephen is now finding greener pasture in the province. While I, the math teacher, pursues a doctorate degree with a rising economic dilemma. Nevertheless, we are bound together with an invisible yet strong bond that keeps us together despite the distance.

* not her real name