All eyes on Cebu

For months, there has been a running social media tussle between Tagalogs and the Bisaya, with memes ranging from the outrageously clever to the downright funny.

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It is often not for the politically-correct, onionskinned and super-sensitive types.

I'm not sure whether this is just a garden-variety expression of competing fandoms of traditional politics. But what I'm sure is that many who have traveled or migrated to and from both places, and have friends and family who are Tagalogs and Bisaya, are enjoying the double meanings, the cleverness, and the wicked humor of everything in this "Tagalog vs. Bisaya" memes.

Both camps briefly united for the Baha sa Luneta and Trillion Peso March rallies of Sept. 21. Protests were also held in several cities in the Visayas. Meme-wise, there were a lot of handshakes, alliances and crossovers between the two camps to signify a common fight.

It didn't matter whether one called it Luneta or "Lonita." Both Tagalogs and the Bisaya simply don't want to be associated with the corrupt.

Then, as September was drawing to a close, a tremor shook the middle of our archipelago. In Central Visayas. In Cebu.

To the credit of our wonderful GenZ's, the Tagalog vs. Bisaya memes instantly stopped to give way to solidarity. Tagalogs and others calling for prayers and waiting for information about how to help Cebuanos at this time of urgent need.