The Philippine Online Chronicles

"Pilosopo ang Pinoy humor.”

“Toilet humor.”

“Wala ka sa lolo ko jokes.”

“Kababawan.”

“Slapstick!”

These were some of top-of-mind answers shared by some folks I interviewed about Filipino humor. What are the first things that come to mind when talking about Filipino humor, I asked. They had a good laugh thinking of what made Pinoys laugh. “Mababaw ba talaga tayo? O masayahin lang talaga?”

In 2009, the Happy Planet Index (HPI) declared the Philippines to be the 14^th most cheerful country on earth. The HPI takes into account life expectancy at birth, average subjective life satisfaction and ecological footprint per capita. In 2006, the Philippines was ranked 17 out of 178, and three years later we were up three slots. Times don’t seem to have gotten any easier, but hey, at least we’re able to maintain some sort of optimism. Could our humorous Pinoy take on life be boosting our happiness index? Perhaps.

Maybe joking around is our way of getting back at the big guys. Let’s give politics a big ha-ha! We don’t like what’s going on in the country? Let’s crack a joke or two. Erap was an easy target for jokes because of his poor English. We may have been disappointed with his regime. We may have been disillusioned. But whatever negativity we were feeling, at least we got some fun out of the national situation we were in. We might as well laugh.

Driver to Erap: Boss, paki-tingnan nga ninyo yung signal light kung ayos na?

Erap: (linabas ang ulo at tiningnan): Ooops sira. ooops gawa. ooops sira...

Slapstick and toilet humor still reign supreme in sitcoms and movies. Did a character say something stupid? Expect him to be slapped on his bald head. Is a cast member extremely dark-skinned and missing her front teeth? Expect her to be the butt of jokes pertaining to her looks. Is one character ngongo? You know what kind of jokes will follow. These jokes are vulgar. These toilet jokes stink. For as long as shows and movies keep telling these jokes, some Pinoy will keep laughing.

Why do we tell these kinds of jokes anyway? “Maybe sign yan na there’s someone who’s worse off than we are,” reflects one interviewee. Laughing at the expense of others. How sad. How disappointing. Yet, turn on the TV and you’ll be flabbergasted at how pervasive that kind of humor is. Or maybe not. It doesn’t make everyone laugh, but it sure cracks up others. “Coping ang humor diba? Ano pa magagawa mo kung bungi at kalbo ka na? Tawanan mo na lang sarili mo,” shares another. Perhaps some think that laughing at one’s disability or lack in the looks department is a coping mechanism. Oh well, , we might as well laugh.

Pinoys seem to love word play. Just go down some streets in the city and you’ll be welcomed by store signs that will make you giggle. Have you seen the hair salon called “Scissor’s Palace”? How about the bakery “Bread Pitt”? The kambingan “Sa Goat Kita”? The photocopying center “Pakopya ni Edgar”? We could go on and on! We also get a kick from funny taglines. For a mobile massage service, this makes a funny tagline: “Massage only, God is watching.” Funny but assuring, isn’t it?

“Witty ang Pinoy!,” shares one interviewee. “Kahit sa taxi maraming nakakatawa. Nagda-drive ka nalang biglang may bubulaga sa ‘yong nakakatawang name ng taxi service.” Have you been a passenger in “Felix the Cab”? How about “21/21 Vision”? Would you like to ride a cab named “Sit beside me”?

Even the way we name our food has a funny kick to it. Chicken feet is called “Adidas”. Fried chicken head is called “Helmet”. Guess what “Walkman” is? Well, barbecued pig’s ears of course!

We’re putting up a business? Hello witty! Whipping up a dish? Let’s poke fun at it! Whether it’s a business, a vehicle or all sorts of food, let’s have fun with it. Times are hard enough as they are! We might as well laugh.

That’s Pinoy humor in a nutshell – we make jokes about the good and the bad. Laughing about the bad seems to offset whatever displeasing vibe it has, be it the political circus or in local comedies, a horse-like face. We laugh at silly word games. We laugh at comedy king Dolphy’s jokes. We laugh at the water station down the street called ATM (Automatic Tubig Machine). Laughter helps us cope with whatever harshness we encounter. We laugh to survive. Laughter spices up the ordinary. We laugh to be happy.

“Mababaw ba tayo o masayahin lang?” Maybe it’s the latter that makes us the former. Filipinos have a naturally joyful approach to life.  Joking around just makes life more fun. Life’s already hard enough as it is. We might as well laugh!

Toni Tiu’s favourite comedies growing up where “OK ka fairy ko” and “Home along da riles.” She has her laundry done in a shop called “Let’s Talk Dirty” and cracks up at “Wala ka sa lolo ko” jokes. For stuff that makes her laugh, visit her personal blog at Wifelysteps.com.

Photo: “All Smiles, No Teeth! Jaro, Philippines” by Sam Antonio Photography, c/o Flickr. Some Rights Reserved