Gloria Diaz "slur" angers Cebuanos

CEBU, Philippines - Saying in an interview, that “a Cebuana can hardly speak English and Tagalog” seems to be a “major, major” blunder for 1969 Miss Universe Gloria Diaz.

Cebuanos have criticized Diaz for her comment, which she made after Maria Venus Raj was proclaimed the 4th runner-up in the recent Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.Many believe that Raj could have even won the crown had she not fumbled during the question and answer portion.

Diaz said that Filipino contestants should have an interpreter since the Venezuelans, who have won the most titles in international beauty pageants have one during the crucial question and answer portion.

But, her comments went out of bounds for the Cebuano community, when she said in an interview over ABS-CBN, “Kasi when you think about a Cebuana can hardly speak English and of course Tagalog. Maybe she should answer in Bisaya.”

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama said that if the intention of the former Miss Universe was to insult Cebuanos, it should not be taken for granted.

 “If she needs to insult us that should not be taken for granted, I don’t know why we need an interpreter,” Rama said.

 He added that Cebuanos know how to speak and deliver English well if asked in English.

Rama cautioned Diaz that she should be “very careful if she is trying to mock us.”

“I don’t know how she comes up with an idea why she is saying it in that manner,” Rama added.

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia believes that contestants should be allowed to speak in their native tongue.

“Is there a prohibition? I’ve always thought contestants were allowed to speak in their native tongue for as long as an interpreter or translator could be provided. If the contestant is a Cebuana, she could always choose to speak in Cebuano,” Garcia said.

Valeriano ‘Chicoy’ Tomol, manager of Cebuana beauty queens Anna Maris Igpit and Karla Bautista, labeled Diaz statement as a “major” blunder against the Cebuanos.

Bautista was Binibining Pilipinas-World in 2004 and Queen of Asia-Oceania.Igpit was Bb. Pilipinas World in 2006.

“In my 30 years of existence, I never, not in my wildest dreams, expected a ‘major, major’ blunder from an aging and obviously out of touch beauty queen. Unless of course if Ms. Diaz had been living under a rock for years and just emerged recently to blurt out that short sighted comment,” Tomol said.

Igpit, in her Facebook account, said that Cebuanos are “very good in English.

“I have so much respect for Gloria Diaz because I look up to her a lot. Maybe she is just misinterpreted by most. But I can’t help but react and defend the Cebuanos most especially that we’re globally commended for our English,” Igpit added.

In an interview with The FREEMAN, Diaz said that her statements were taken out of context saying that she never mentioned in the interview that Cebuanos could hardly speak in English.

“Please, please correct it. I never said that,” Diaz said, adding that she was only using Cebuanos as example.

 What she meant, Diaz explained, was that the answer of a Cebuano candidate is best translated into English by another Cebuano, who is articulate in English.

 This way, the meaning of the Cebuano words would not be lost in translation. — with Ria Mae Booc/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)