ONE word which is a constant stock in today's street lingo is "pokpok." Each
August in celebration of "Buwan ng Wika" I submitted this word for inclusion of foreign entries in the Oxford English dictionary, under category Philippine English.
This year's new winners are: Kilig, Suki, Tabo, High-blood, Bahala na, Kikay, Pulutan, Barkada, KKB, and Boondocks.
"Pokpok" is the brand name given to some free-wheeling girls by wise men who love colorful language. Whoever invented this picturesque and often times ribald label must be skilled in the science of linguistics. It has national currency "mula Aparri hanggang Jolo."
It is the single word which, though not used in polite company and the well-bred, describes the woman alluded to. Pokpok beats its famous American equivalent "bitch" with its native onomatopoeic impact and directness.
It has the candidness and notoriety of "kotong," another Pinoy brand name which is ascribed to men in uniform or to certain bureaucrats.
"Bitch" of course is a female dog and the word has compound meanings, depending on its usage. While a husband cheats, the wife can go around bitching.
We wonder, therefore, who between the Pinoy pokpok and the American bitch is more promiscuous. I guess this can be settled by a hormonal emission test, something similar to the LTO procedure.
Periodically at least one or two colorful words are added to the Pinoy vocabulary.
In recent decades the word "put" was the vogue in government circles. Recently "tongpats and "bukol" were added.
Via TV-radio and newspapers a word or a phrase would gain public currency. The most lasting and all-time favorite is the cuss phrase "P- - - - g ina mo. Philippine courts had determined that this expletive, depending on the circumstances it was uttered, is libelous. If the other person says "P- - -- ina mo rin" it is equivalent to what PBA referees call "second motion."
"Pokpok" has not yet figured in judicial litigations even if it is defamatory by implication. But it destroys by connotation. There is always a way to beat the law. This word is the best example to slander someone and get away from being sued for slander.
I suspect pokpok was derived from the Kapampangan "pukpuk" (meaning to strike). In fact drinkers often refer to their bed antics as "pukpukan."
The guy who invented this word under scrutiny had a degree of creativity and great humor. Certainly he possessed special knowledge of the female psyche. You cannot find this word in the best works of Balagtas and Crissot, foremost poets and dramatists of their time.
I have been asked, but failed, to come up with a credible definition of "pokpok."
How could I when I would not even know a pokpok when I meet one. What I know is a pokpok has a less notorious repute than "puta" aka "prosti."
The first arrives to that status because of romance, for the fun of it, and bare necessity. Her reward comes in the concept of conditional cash transfer (CCT). The "prosti" is there chiefly for survival – as a form of livelihood. Call it a labor of love.
Ms. pokpok most often has a breeding place in school campuses, work places, and better income groups. She does not go to a smear test but carries a condom in times of calamity. The devil wears Prada, the prosti Hello Kitty underpants.
A girl known for having had multiple love partners is also a pokpok. It is generic name for students, society matrons too, who have a nasty reputation as "playgirls." There are two types of play girls. Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere.
A pokpok is not necessarily a puta, but one cannot be puta without being first a pokpok. The first holds a degree equivalent to 2nd Grade Civil Service eligibility. The second has a CESO (career executive service) grade.
I admire a pokpok for her loyalty. She often stays loyal to her lover, be he a dirty old man or "basta driver, sweet lover." The puta has no loyalty. The only person who can be identified or has similar traits with her is the politician.
At times the pokpok is more dependable and loyal than a politico in the sense that when she is bought she stays bought. The politico, when already bought, keeps selling his loyalty.
