Quezonin is about President Manuel L. Quezon and the province named after him, which used to be called Tayabas, a province that included Aurora with its capital, Baler. I am proud to claim that I was the one who coined this term, and for good reason.
As Quezonin expands its stock of information, and people get used to hearing, using and writing it, the term might later include the city named after President Quezon, and everything Quezon, in the Philippines and abroad.
Why Quezonin And Not Quezonian?
Our thesis statement is this — Quezon is the only Tagalog-speaking province that speaks genuine Tagalog — and this is evidenced by how it refers to its native residents. Laguna, Rizal, Batangas, Cavite and Bulacan and the rest of Metro Manila have allowed liberal encroachments of Spanish and English in their Tagalog.
If you are from Laguna, you are called Lagunense, such as in Biñanense. This is as Spanish sounding as Batangueño,
Caviteño and Bulakeño.
However in Quezon, you are Tayabasin, Lucenahin, Guinyanganin, San Narcisohin, Tagkawayanin, Catanauanin, Pagbilaoin, Mulanayin, Padre Burgosin, Buenavistahin, Atimonanin, Patnanungin, Sampalukin, Lukbanin, Maubanin, Unisanin, etc. If you are from Siain, you are probably called Siainin or Plaridelin.
So it should be Quezonin, and not the English Quezonian.
The ending suffix -in is the Tagalog or Filipino equivalent of the English -ish. You are thirtyish, fortyish, and fiftyish. Trentahin, kwarentahin, singkwentahin... and artistahin!
In a later post, we will discuss the history and meaning of my favorite slogan, "Tuloy ang bangi, kahit basa pa ang bunot." Years ago, we saw this written in the mudguard of a Lucena-bound jeepney. I did not know then that it was the name of a local radio program in Lucena in the 60s and 70s.
If you are a native Lagunain or Quezonin/Tayabasin, perhaps you can relate with this slogan and know what it says.
Bantilan Bridge
Gov. Angelina "Helen" Tan's quick response to natural disasters was first tested during the height of typhoon Paeng in the early evening of Saturday, Oct. 29.
Residents and barangay officials of Sariaya, Quezon were the ones who first notified her about the collapse of the Bantilan bridge, the concrete span that connects the provinces of Batangas and Quezon.
The bridge, measuring 30 meters long, is located between Barangay Tipas in San Juan town of Batangas, and Barangay Bantilan in Sariaya town of Quezon.
Governor Tan posted the information on the bridge’s collapse on her Facebook page at around 8 p.m. and advised motorists to look for alternative routes.
The local government of San Juan also reported on its Facebook page the collapse of the bridge, saying it was “due to raging river currents and floods.”
Tan said her immediate concern was to check if there were casualties when the water level in the river rapidly increased.
Apart from the very old Bantilan Bridge, the hanging bridge in Sitio Sintorisan which is used by 60 households in the same barangay was also destroyed.
In the days that followed, the governor-doctor visited the site of the erstwhile bridge and coordinated with the DPWH-Quezon 2nd District Engineering Office which immediately started constructing a temporary bridge.