SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta and Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman had a friendly debate about linguistics on Friday, Sept. 16 at the House of Representatives, with "red-tagging" being the main topic.
During his interpellation of the proposed 2023 budget of the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP), Marcoleta contended that the budget of an important agency, such as the NCiP, shouldn't get deferred on the basis of a word that wasn't in the dictionary.
Friday was actually the second go-round of the NCIP budget before House members; last Sept. 7, the Committee on Appropriations, through the motion of Makabayan solon, Gabriela Party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas, deferred the tackling of the agency's budget due to alleged red-tagging by its chairman, Allen Capuyan.
"Did you bother to look into the English dictionary if there is a word, 'red-tagging'? Or 'red tag'?" Marcoleta asked Capuyan.
"There's no such...wala po kaming na-encounter na salitang red-tagging (we didn't encounter the word red-tagging)," Capuyan answered.
Marcoleta said, "Mayroon po akong nakita, red panda, red tide, red wine. Maski po yung dictionary natin dito sa library na napakakapal, hindi ko po nakita yung red tag eh (I saw the phrases red panda, red tide, red wine. But even in our library here which has a very thick library, I didn't see red tag).
"Kaya ako po ay nagtataka kung bakit pinipilit na isangkot yung salita na wala naman sa English dictionary (That's why I can't fathom why a word that's not even in the English dictionary must be involved here)," added the majority lawmaker.
Referring to leftist groups, the former deputy speaker said, "Para bang hindi importante sa kanila na bigyan natin ng pondo ang mga ahensyang sila ang tagapagtanggol ng seguridad ng ating bansa at ng ating mamamayan (It's like it's not important to them to allocate funds to the agencies that defend the security of the country and its people)."
Marcoleta further said that red-tagging was a unnecessary label, as he claimed that the public knows who these leftist personalities were.
YOU GOTTA READ THIS:
https://mb.com.ph/2022/09/07/ncip-budget-is-first-to-get-deferred-by-house-appro-panel-heres-why/
Lagman, an independent minority solon, then made a manifestation to counter Marcoleta's remarks about red-tagging not being entered into the dictionary.
"Language is in the process of a continuing evolution. There are terms of recent vintage which are not found in the Miriam-Webster dictionary but they are being used and they are being understood, either good or bad connotations," he said.
"So I would just like to say that even if red-tagging is not in the Miriam-Webster dictionary dictionary, it is understood. The head of the NCIP understood what is red-tagging. It is actually derogatory to some of the victims red-tagging," noted the Bicolan, himself a former appropriations panel chairman.
In a subsequent rejoinder, Marcoleta agreed with fellow lawyer Lagman's take that words go through evolution, but at the same time insisted that "no one single group can impose its own definition of a particular word".
Marcoleta argued that people's acceptance of a meaning of a particular word should take a lengthy process for to be properly "internalized".
"Sa kanila lang galing yung red tag (The phrase red tag camr from only one group. It should not be imposed on a society. Kinakailangan mapag-isipan natin kung tama nga yung pagkakagamit (We need to think about whether or not its usage is correct)...it will take one generation."
Marcoleta said: "It's only used by one single group, hindi magku-qualify po yun agad. Kailangan dumaan po siya sa proseso talaga (it won't qualify immediately, it really needs to go through the process).
"Sa ngayon po, talagang masasabi kong wala po sa dictionary at hindi ko po naiintidihan. Kinakailangan nila sigurong ipaliwanag mabuti at gamitin natin ng malaganap para sa ngayon ma-internalize natin na yun pala yung pinag-uusapan natin (So right now, I can truly say that it's not in the dictionary and I can't undertake it. They probably need to explain it properly and use it widely so we may internalize what it mean)," he said.