The colloquial word tambay, which was shortened from istambay — I can imagine — came from the English term standby, which the dictionary defines as any of the following:
1) “To be available and ready if needed.”
2) “To be present as an onlooker without taking any action.”
3) “To be faithful to his wife.”
Clearly, tambay in Pinoy connotation was derived from the second one. The first is often used for doctors (they stand by for any emergency) and people in the entertainment profession who know the waiting game more than anyone else in the world.
As for the third meaning, I have to say that there still are faithful husbands on this side of the globe, except that most Filipino wives would get into a debate about that — and so we are sticking to definition No. 2.
Yes, tambay had always been negative. It describes people (men mostly), who are idle and jobless and just hang around in their favorite tambayan.
But the young had given the word a more acceptable take. Since they are still young (and restless), they are allowed a little more leeway and so it doesn’t sound as bad if you say: “tambayan sa school,” where they meet up after or in between classes.
I am assuming that ABS-CBN radio officials had the young as target audience when they renamed their FM station Tambayan 101.9 (San Ka Pa?).
To solidify further the presence of this radio channel, ABS-CBN put up the 1st Tambayan 101.9 OPM Awards sometime ago at the Skydome in SM North EDSA.
With this new awards presentation, the radio station honored outstanding achievements in Filipino music the past year.
Winners were selected partly through text voting. But maybe to rule out wise guys who’d vote I Have Two Hands as Song of the Year, the officials behind the organization also pushed for their own choices to put some order into the selection process.
Since this awards body was honoring the best in local music, the program, of course, had to have musical productions and had a bouncy opening number with the reunion of some alumni from Pinoy Dream Academy: Laarni Lozada, Cris Pastor, Miguel Mendoza, Liezl Garcia and RJ Jimenez.
The other performers were big names in the entertainment profession: Piolo Pascual, Jericho Rosales, Kyla and Toni Gonzaga. The current top bands also showed up for the presentation: Callalily, Rock Steddy, Paraluman and Imago.
Hosted by Francine Prieto and Chokoleit and staged in cooperation with the network’s events partner, Von Arroyo’s V Factor, the program deviated from the usual, now-boring flow of most awards nights. Instead of having a set of presenters behind the podium to herald the names of the winners, the show had skits to introduce every category.
These sketches were set in — where else? — the Pinoys’ two favorite hangouts: The barber shop and the sari-sari store. The presenters were the station’s disc jockeys who did not simply say “and the winner is.” They acted out lines — at times even danced and sang.
The night’s biggest hit, however, was the category for Best Kantamercial that honored the most outstanding commercial jingle. In this portion, the disc jockeys sang and parodied some of the most loved and derided ditties from radio and TV ads — from the now almost classic Close to You of Close-Up to the much-reviled jingles that peddled YC Bikini Briefs and Seiko Wallet. And the winner of the Kantamercial of the Year: Close-Up.
Below are the other winners in 1st Tambayan OPM Awards:
Upuan by Gloc 9 — Song of the Year
Your Universe — Album of the Year
Rico Blanco — Male Artist of the Year
Yeng Constantino — Female Artist of the Year
Sugarfree — Band of the Year
Pata-Pata Pon — Best Novelty Song
Francis Magalona — a posthumous Tambayani Award
With the success of this first ever Tambayan OPM Awards, it is expected that there will be another one next year. Music fans are waiting — on stand by. You know where to find them. They should be in their favorite tambayan.