At Sophia's Way: Foul-Mouthed Singer Vs. Me

About a month into my being semi-permanently "on field" in Tacloban, I happened to have met a "long-time-no-see" friend. We agreed to meet again for dinner with another "long-time-no-see" friend! Venue of choice was Sophia's Way, the 'restobar' at the Leyte Park grounds near the gate by Magsaysay Blvd.

Good food. The owners are known for that in Tacloban as they're also a catering company...

We just had crispy pata, shrimps, sandamakmak na yang chow rice and beer! This is a good place to eat and drink. We've all been here many times before - when this area was still a hit with many restos.

There was this live band singing standard ballads fro the '80s down to the '30s, probably even earlier.

Okay naman. Good enough to hear, even if the "English" would at times be off. This is Leyte anyway!

And then they kept repeatedly asking the audience for song requests or "audience participation"...

No one was requesting any songs. There were only two tables occupied - ours and another table with a group of four - meaning there were only 7 diners and not one of us wanted to request songs (yet). In my table, we were busier with our food and alaskahan after having not seen each other in many years.

A waiter came with a pen asking us to request songs. I obliged, writing "any waray-waray songs" on a tissue paper (that's the usual practice herearounds) and he immediately gave it to that woman singer.

Eto na... reading my tissue paper she said "We have here a request for any waray-waray songs, sorry we don't sing waray-waray songs, this is Sophia's Way". As we say in QC, "nagpanting ang tenga ko"!

I requested the waiter (who was always near our table) to ask his superiors if it's true that they do not allow waray-waray songs, and if so, why. A "dining supervisor" came to tell me that it's not their rule, it depends on the band if they can sing waray-waray songs or not. Thus, the obvious had to happen...

After a song, I walked up to in-front of that stage (its not that tall so I was facing them), I asked that woman if it's really a rule of Sophia's Way that they don't sing waray-waray songs or if she just did not know any. No reply, she just faced the floor. I stood there waiting for an answer. That guy at right, the percussionist offered an answer explaining they do not have waray-waray songs in their repertoire. I retorted that what she said was "WE DO NOT SING WARAY-WARAY SONGS, THIS IS SOHPIA'S WAY".

Silence...

Still facing the woman, I told her "misis, wag kang gumawa ng sarili mong batas, singer ka lang dito, bayaran ka lang. If you do not know a song just be honest and say so. Ano ang ibig mong sabihin ng THIS IS SOPHIA'S WAY, aber"? Silence. I continued my 'discourse' - "pinalalabas mo na unacceptable o baduy ang waray-waray songs, ganun? So ano dapat ang request namin, Pusong Bato o English lang?

Di pa ako tapos so I continued:
"Eh di mo nga maitama ang kanta ni Karen Carpenter! Do you even know what diction or enunciation means? Killing not Ke-ling, Softly not Sop-le! Tapos ang lakas ng loob mo insultuhin ang waray-waray songs, idadamay mo pa ang Sophia's Way. Kung magpapa-sosyal ka misis, wag mo yurakan ang lahi nating mga waray. Ikaw, buhok mong naka-iper at suot mo na nasa dibdib ang paha (belt) ang tunay na baduy, kulang na lang toga para kang a-attend ng graduation"! A friend pulled me back to our table.

It was even that guy who said "pasensya na sir" and not this woman.

Back at our table, the friends were laughing at my use of "naka-iper". They said pang-barberya yun, the socially correct term nowadays is re-bonding, so I should have said "naka-rebond" although they said it must have hurt the singer, therefore good if only to make her remember. They agreed with my point though. Saying "THIS IS SOPHIA'S WAY" was contextually insulting not just to the song requestor (me) but to the waray-waray culture. As if nag-request ako ng malaswa o mapanirang-puri, tanginang yan!

The supervisor became our waiter (probably fishing for more info about the incident) and eventually asked why I was offended at the singer's pronouncement. I plainly said "mano, kami nga pira na ka-dekada naukoy ha iba nga lugar syempre nahihidlaw han aton kalugaringon nga kanta kay di man ito puydi i-request didto, ngan common na ito nga "Killing Me Softly" maski diin. Tapos iinsultuhon niya nga baga'n hugaw baga'n malaw-ay an waray-waray songs nga di puydi kantahon ha Sophia's Way?

The atrevida manong said "oo gad ano? padi ka sir?"! I rested my case!

I may forget the ugly face of that woman with an uglier soul. But I will always stand on my culture - so don't any pa-sosyal place or singer trample on that. Just say you don't know waray songs, period!

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