Sobriquets

an essay by Roger B Rueda

Filipinos are fond of sobriquets as they are palpable in their show business—"Superstar," "Star of All Season," "Megastar," and "Diamond Star." Well, without telling the names of the actresses, I know, you know who they are. Kris Aquino is otherwise known as "the Queen of All Media." Nina is "Diamond Diva." Boy Abunda is "the King of Talk."

Iloilo City has got two sobriquets, one is “the City of Love” and the other is "the Most Noble City," a title given by the Queen Regent of Spain. Of course, it was widely known since 1855 as “Queen City of the South.” Now it is Cebu City that has that sobriquet. Possibly, because of the slow progress and poor political influence then, Iloilo City  lost its beautiful sobriquet. Bacolod City is known as “the City of Smile.” Perhaps because of the permanent smile the mask flaunts to people—though, perhaps, the wearer's heart is bleeding heavily. Yet, that is Bacolod’s individualising characteristic. Baguio City deserves its sobriquet as “the City of Flowers.” When in Baguio, I feel I am in a paradise. The flowers there are exotic and their sizes are really amazing because never have I seen flowers of jarring colours and sizes so unusual, some are huge, that the first time you see them the pupils of your eyes will dilate and your mouth agape wordless. Most Baguio flowers have a wide tube and flared lobes while others widen gradually from the base, ending in an open or flared shape. Too, common flowers there are those that start as a narrow tube, but widen into a flared mouth, where the petals often turn back. What I like most, however, in the city are flowers with a long, thin tube, that widen suddenly into a flat-faced flowers, they are very common in "the City of Flowers."

In our homes (and even amongst our peers), we call ourselves with sobriquets. Because, perhaps, of the intimacy and the deeper effect it has on us. I mean when our peers call us of our nicknames there is a very congruous feeling that we transude from our within and it really builds a feeling of certitude and inwardness. And the moment we are called with our sobriquets we can know then who the people surrounding us are.

Our university where we graduated is called as our alma mater. The term is from Latin, and it means fostering mother—and I really agree with it.

How about the biggest pond, “The Pond”? Well, it is the sobriquet to mean the Atlantic Ocean. It really looks as one as it is surrounded by masses of lands.

I disdain the Old Nick. It must be the cause of all the sufferings in the world. Deceit started here, remember, in Eden, revealed in the Holy Bible.

Joan of Arc has a sobriquet of “Maid of Orleans.” Washington, D.C., the US capital, is called "Chocolate City," so named because of its majority African-American population. Of course, very well-known as a myth, the Philippines is called "Pearl of the Orient." We knew it first time from grade school textbook. But wait, does the Philippines have the creamy white shiny colour? I've heard that if a person sports a pearl, he or she may soon get a good fortune.

"The Governator" is a sobriquet given to Arnold Schwarzenegger, the 38th Governor of California. Well, does that mean he is half governor, half cyborg? Yes, he is a hyper-alloy combat chasis surrounded by living tissue, sent back by Skynet to become California's governor.

Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States of America, is called "The Great Communicator" because he delivered his innumerable lies in words of one syllable. His genius lay in the manipulation of symbols to convey powerful messages that could no longer be voiced openly in polite society—messages of hate, envy, fear, and violence.

We often hear China as "the Dragon." In China, excellent and outstanding people are compared to the dragon while incapable people with no achievements are compared with other, disesteemed creatures, such as the worm. A number of Chinese proverbs and idioms feature references to the dragon, for example: "Hoping one's son will become a dragon."

Rome is called "the Eternal City." Rome was best known for its gladiators. Have you watched the movie "Gladiator"? Don't you know that Roman gladiators were condemned criminals, prisoners of war, or slaves bought for the purpose of gladiatorial combat by an owner of gladiators?

Elvis Presley is known as "the King (of Rock and Roll)." Oprah Winfrey is called "the Queen of Talk Shows." Miriam Defensor-Santiago has a sobriquet "the Iron Lady of Asia." Isn't it obvious. She is such that her words are very powerful. I love to watch her talk. Imelda Marcos, the Philippine former first lady, has been called colourful "Steel Butterfly." I am her fan. In fact, I love collecting her quotes. They are so beautiful. One of them is "God is love. I have loved. Therefore, I will go to heaven." And then her "People say I'm extravagant because I want to be surrounded by beauty. But tell me, who wants to be surrounded by garbage?"

"The Land of a Thousand Lakes" is the sobriquet given to Finland, the home country of our Nokia mobile phones. Jaipur, the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan, has the sobriquet, "Pink City." Since it's called "Pink City," are gays welcome there? Oh well, perhaps. Why not? The British Parliament is commonly called as "Westminster." "The Fourth Estate" is the sobriquet of the press. Barotac Nuevo, a town in Iloilo, is known as Philippines “Football Capital." Here most people love playing football even if they have basketballs. Barotac Nuevo, too, is home of the famous Iloilo State College of Fisheries.

Now everything is in its new-sprung state of being, some writers follow the Bard of Avon’s writing style. How sure are they that their pieces can rivalise Shakespeare’s classical works?