Jeproks

            I always wondered where all the kanto slang in the Philippines started. The better question is "who started it." I just happened to pick up a Nonoy Marcelo (creator of the influential comic series "Ikabod") tribute book on my way to my throne, the toilet bowl. According to the book, Nonoy Marcelo, in all his weirdness and genius, invented the kind of slang that would influence the whole of Mega Manila, if not the whole country.

            "Datkilab" is widely used, especially by frat men and it's very "asteeg"-sounding, as it's shrouded in mystery if you don't understand or know how to discover its secret. The kanto lingo that gave birth to datkilab influenced a lot of people, including Ka Freddy Aguilar and even my uncles. 

            Ermats would translate to mother and Erpats to father. Erap is to pare while todits is to dito. The datkilab for pera is areps but that's pretty recent. Here are some of the words and meanings I discovered recently (forgive my ignorance): jeproks (housing PROJECTS that would roughly translate to jologs in modern time) and kachokaran means karancho.

            Weird or funny these words may seem, they still define us and who we are. Language is a vital part of Culture, and culture is what defines people and gives meaning and happiness to everyday life.