Senators worry over backlash on use of Filipino in debates

Senator Lito Lapid. INQUIRER file photo

Senators are worried about another conservative kerfuffle if the debates on the reproductive health bill shift to Filipino to accommodate the English language-challenged Senator Manuelito “Lito” Lapid.

They said vernacular references to the sex act, various sexual activities and the genitals during the televised debates may offend conservative sensibilities.

Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada said there could be some awkwardness when these terms are translated into Filipino.

“The word ‘sperm,’ for example, I cannot mention it in Tagalog.  It might be unacceptable  (to some sectors) if we utter the Tagalog words on the floor,” he said.

Senator Panfilo Lacson said Lapid himself shared this concern with him and Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III.

Lapid earlier complained that while he longed to join the RH debates, his limited English vocabulary and the daunting technical terms in English prevented him from doing so.

Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano said the live coverage of the debates was another complication.

“What if a jeepney driver is listening in and he has a passenger who is a minor?” he said.

However, Lacson and Sotto agreed that the Senate does not need to formulate new rules for the language shift.

“To each his own responsibility and accountability,” said Sotto.

Lacson said the use of Taglish would be a realistic compromise, “English words that sound offensive need not be translated literally.”

But Senator Joker Arroyo said his colleagues may be fretting over nothing, noting that nobody has flinched in plenary debates where English terms are used.

“My golly, in this RH bill discussion, words you would not normally hear in plenary like ‘intercourse,’ ‘masturbation,’ words we would hesitate to use in ordinary conversation are talked about and nobody gets shocked,” he said.

On the third week of debates on Senate Bill 2865, words like “masturbation,” “sperm” and “ejaculation” have found their way into the discussions.

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said English proficiency was immaterial in the RH debates and Lapid should just use Filipino.

He said the movie-star-turned-senator can still debate with Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, with the former using Filipino and the latter her eloquent English.

“They would still understand each other,” Lacierda said.  With Norman Bordadora