'Wah' is word of the day

MANILA, Philippines - Wah… how do you spell that?

Senator-judge Miriam Defensor-Santiago, the “gentle lady from Iloilo,” did not provide the spelling of the Ilonggo term, or explain what it meant exactly.

But she made it the word of the day at the Senate impeachment trial yesterday when she used it in scolding the House prosecution panel for withdrawing five of the eight Articles of Impeachment against Chief Justice Renato Corona.

She also berated prosecutors for saying that after tackling three of the remaining articles in the past two months, they were confident of securing a conviction: “Dalawang buwan pa lang, wala na. Tatlo na lang sa walo, tama na yun, eh panalo na kami. Wah!”

“I request the secretariat to record in our journal that I said, ‘wah’!” she said.

Amid the laughter, which prompted Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile to bang the gavel and call out, “Silence, please,” Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III asked, to more laughter: “Sen. (Sergio) Osmeña is asking, what is the spelling of ‘wah’?”

“Just an expression,” Enrile replied as he himself visibly tried to suppress a smile.

Ilonggo journalists said the word – a shortened version of the Tagalog “wala” or nothing – is spelled “wah” and is a common expression of disgust among Ilonggos.

Santiago used the word two more times yesterday. “Wah for the second time,” she said as she lambasted the prosecution for their “lack of neuron activity” in withdrawing the impeachment articles.

She also used the word “gago” or stupid to criticize the prosecution, but Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas moved to strike the word off the record. Santiago did not object.