Working in Manila’s center of commerce and trade (Divisoria) for more than a year as an HR Practitioner and Marketing Support exposed me to many realities in the area. After all, Divisoria is not a dreadful place. At one point, I considered my office in Divisoria as my paradise.
On one hand, Divisoria is known for its unprecedented traffic of shoppers especially during the yuletide season primarily because of the value for money that many traders offer. On the other hand, Divisoria is known for the notorious incidents within the vicinity. Name it and most probably it happened in the past. But amidst the clutter of the merchandise and the disorder of the shoppers moving to and fro, there exist familiar voice signals which command you to give way. It sounds strange at first because the spiel sounds like the person is selling three products, but in practice, he is selling neither of the products he is screaming. Hmmm… the story line sounds like typical Divisoria.
When one gets accustomed to the slang, the shtick does not sound strange anymore. The context is truly Filipino and characteristic of a third world country. You will never hear this in a comfy place like Greenbelt or Podium.
At the start, the spiel is HOP! If the expected reaction from the receiver of the message is negative, the person carrying large boxes/baggage will deliver the complete spiel: HOPIA, MANI, POPCORN! (screaming on top of his voice). Consistent with human nature, every one turns his head from the source of the sound, out of curiosity perhaps. After realizing that there is a person who is apparently burdened by the carriage, everybody gives way, but not if the space will not allow the shoppers to move.
One time, a delivery boy driving behind me was about to cut my way. He yelled: HOPIA, MANI, POPCORN! Well, I gave way but when he passed me by, I jokingly whispered: PABILI (Can I have one?). He didn’t say anything but looked at me with a grin on his face. I smirked and gave him a pat on his back.
HOPIA, MANI, POPCORN! Will this lingo work in blogs? Hardly. ;-) Can somebody tell me the etymology of this three-item excuse me version?
On one hand, Divisoria is known for its unprecedented traffic of shoppers especially during the yuletide season primarily because of the value for money that many traders offer. On the other hand, Divisoria is known for the notorious incidents within the vicinity. Name it and most probably it happened in the past. But amidst the clutter of the merchandise and the disorder of the shoppers moving to and fro, there exist familiar voice signals which command you to give way. It sounds strange at first because the spiel sounds like the person is selling three products, but in practice, he is selling neither of the products he is screaming. Hmmm… the story line sounds like typical Divisoria.
When one gets accustomed to the slang, the shtick does not sound strange anymore. The context is truly Filipino and characteristic of a third world country. You will never hear this in a comfy place like Greenbelt or Podium.
At the start, the spiel is HOP! If the expected reaction from the receiver of the message is negative, the person carrying large boxes/baggage will deliver the complete spiel: HOPIA, MANI, POPCORN! (screaming on top of his voice). Consistent with human nature, every one turns his head from the source of the sound, out of curiosity perhaps. After realizing that there is a person who is apparently burdened by the carriage, everybody gives way, but not if the space will not allow the shoppers to move.
One time, a delivery boy driving behind me was about to cut my way. He yelled: HOPIA, MANI, POPCORN! Well, I gave way but when he passed me by, I jokingly whispered: PABILI (Can I have one?). He didn’t say anything but looked at me with a grin on his face. I smirked and gave him a pat on his back.
HOPIA, MANI, POPCORN! Will this lingo work in blogs? Hardly. ;-) Can somebody tell me the etymology of this three-item excuse me version?
Notes: Hopia is a Filipino bean filled pastry originally introduced by Fujianese immigrants. Mani is the local translation of peanuts. Popcorn is a type of corn which pops from the kernel and puffs up when heated.
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