Obosen is a word thrown into online discussions by critics of the Duterte administration, as a way of making fun of his supporters whose primary language is not English or Tagalog… or are lesser educated such that they often misspell what should be simple words for Tagalog speakers.
The standard Tagalog word is ubusin (to use up or completely get rid of).
For those unfamiliar with the situation in the Philippines, where the gap between rich and poor is stark beyond imagination, the elite who have been running the country for decades is centered around Tagalog-speaking Manila on the island of Luzon. Even those with roots elsewhere like Pampanga or Bicol, many have received higher education in the capital and overseas, so they speak the two main languages fluently and comprise the intelligentsia.
In the Visayas region and Mindanao, the dominant language is Cebuano and its related languages and dialects. They have their own distinct culture and way of life. They have also been caricatured or stereotyped for their “funny” accent when speaking Tagalog and English.
Before the boxer Manny Pacquiao became internationally famous, it would’ve been unheard of to take anyone of his cultural background and his way of speaking seriously — in terms of celebrity or political power. His primary language is of the Visayan group.
It could be argued that if Manny Pacquiao hadn’t made it big and become a national icon, the path for the Cebuano-speaking mayor of a city in Mindanao to become president of the country would’ve been impossible. To this day, it bewilders the nation’s elite stakeholders (particularly the mainstream media that are part of them) that such a “low-class” group of people could have such a powerful voice and get one of their own into the presidential palace.
So… now that Duterte has been legitimately elected president of the entire country in a landslide with 16 million total votes (6 million more than the runner-up Mar Roxas of the Liberal Party), the “yellow” elite are relegated to making fun of his supporters in online forums by pointing out Duterte’s misuse of Tagalog and English words and phrases, as well as that of his supporters.
The yellows also refer to Duterte supporters are Dutertards… It’s a spin on the word “retard” and is way more pejorative than the “deplorable” appellation given to Trump supporters.
