FISCALIZE / FISCALIZER / FISCALIZATION – not an English word!
- Monday, February 1, 2010, 11:40
- Government, Society
- 20 comments
The word doesn’t exist in the English Language!
Fiscalize, Fiscalizer, Fiscalization, Fiscalized, Fiscalizing are words invented by Lazy Filipino Senators!!
* * *
Well, many Filipino Senators in the entire history of the Philippine Senate were lawyers or had come from legal backgrounds. In the Philippine Legal Profession, there is a heavy reference to old Spanish terminology as a way of preserving the historical jurisprudence that the Spaniards first bequeathed to us.
As such, you will notice that penalties for misbehavior/crimes are often in Spanish, such as these examples among many:
1. “destierro” (banishment)
2. “prisión correccional” (6 mos min to 6 years max imprisonment)
3. “prisión mayor” (6 years min to 12 years imprisonment)
4. “reclusión temporal” (12 years min to 20 years max imprisonment)
5. “reclusión perpetua” (life imprisonment)
The Spanish influence, aside from the Jurisprudence (ultimately based on Roman Civil Law, as opposed to Germanic & Anglo-Saxon Common Law) comes as well in the form of informal address that lawyers use to refer to fellow lawyers.
Ever seen Filipino lawyers greet each other?
“¡Compañero!”
That’s another Spanish thing.
Another one is the informal reference to any Public Prosecutor. While a Public Prosecutor may have the formal English title “District Prosecutor” or “Municipal Prosecutor” or “Regional Prosecutor” or whatever “Prosecutor” on his desk, on his door, or on his name card, Lawyers almost always informally refer to them as “Fiscal.”
Why? Because in the old days when Spanish was still the language of the professional and educated elite in the Philippines, prosecutors would be addressed formally as “Señor fiscal…”
The word “Fiscal” is the Spanish title and job description for any lawyer who happens to be a public prosecutor. In Spanish-speaking countries, the word “fiscal” is exactly one of the words that would appear on the prosecutor’s desk, on his door, and on his namecard.
In the Philippine context, therefore, the formal written references to the person use English titles like “prosecutor”, while the informal, spoken, and conversational forms of address continue to use the Spanish title “fiscal.”
That being said, FISCAL means PUBLIC PROSECUTOR.
It means the person who questions the actions of the defendant and cross-examines the defendant and defendant’s witnesses.
* * *
So why “Fiscalize?”
Because when the Philippine Senate came into existence and they were not to be voted by large geographical constituencies such as regions or groups of provinces, and instead were all voted nationwide, many of the individual Senators found themselves “serving the same constituency” – the entire Philippines.
Due to this “functional overlap”, many Filipino Senators had no specific constituencies to answer to or specific regional areas that would request them for help in crafting legislation that would specifically solve certain issues that the people in those areas experienced.
This is in stark contrast to the US Senate whose Senators each belong to one State. Each State, thus, votes for 2 Senators each. And the Senators, therefore, receive a barrage of mails/letters from people from their states talking about problems they encounter, and these inputs are what the US Senators use in order to craft legislation, since making laws by first authoring bills is meant to address such issues found in the inputs given by the people in the States represented by US Senators.
Since this is not the case in the Philippines, you end up with some lazy Senators who do not pre-empt or take the initiative to research on what the people’s problems are and thus create legislation that would solve such problems.
These “Senate Slackers” therefore sought to “justify their positions” and the operational funds they receive as Senators by creating “work” that is high-profile, and grabs media-attention, even if it has absolutely nothing to do with their real job which is “legislation“, therefore “making laws.” This high-profile work thus comes in the form of investigative exposes, hearings on sex scandals (Hayden Kho 2009 and Brunei Beauties back in 90′s) and questioning whatever the executive branch does, all of which are often lumped together as FISCALIZATION.
In short, these Senate Slackers who do not concentrate on their real jobs as lawmakers, therefore take on the role of a public prosecutor whenever they point the accusing finger at a person or group of people when doing such “investigations”, and as such, they each act as a fiscal – which is the Spanish term for “Public Prosecutor.”
This is how the term FISCALIZER came to be.
(Sa Pilipinas lang pala yan!!!! )
NOW YOU KNOW!
About the Author
Dr. José Rizal II has written 9 stories on this site.
José Rizal II is the present-day reincarnation of the original José Rizal in almost every way except for height (he's taller) and doctoral specialization (not an opthalmologist). In terms of hairstyle, clothing preferences, interests, and aptitude, he's practically the original reborn for this present era. *wink* * Dr. José Rizal II is on twitter... Follow him @drjr2 & e-mail him at joeriz2@yahoo.com
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20 Comments on “FISCALIZE / FISCALIZER / FISCALIZATION – not an English word!”
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That should take care of the “Oh, he was a Fiscalizer” excuse that Abnoy fans keep giving when you ask for accomplishments. Besides, even if we take their definition of “fiscalization” and accept it as a coined word, they still CANNOT present any accounts of it in quantifiable terms that can be credited to ABNOY.
[Reply]
I can see where the problem lies. Majority of Filipinos are not aware that they are supposed to make their Senators work for them. They don’t even want to write to the Senators about the problems in their local areas for fear of offending them. This is because the people who voted for these Senators adore them.
Some of the Senators are former screen idols, athletes or simply members of a wealthy family and were only voted to public office because they are popular. Some people think that it is normal for the Senators to be seen lounging around, parading their wealth to the rest of society. Some Senators razzle, dazzle the adoring crowd by coming up with the term Fiscalizer!
[Reply]
The term “in aid of legislation” can also be a funny thing nowadays.
I can hardly recall a televised, high-profile senate session that led to actual legislation…after all the showboating done by actors/Senators portraying public prosecutors.
It only looks good while we see the drama unfold on tv.
At the end of the day, we usually ask ourselves: WHAT’S THE CONCLUSION? WHERE ARE THE LAWS?
[Reply]
Mark Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 2:58 am
There is, actually. Remember the girl (haha i dont remember if she was a prostitute) who died (i think from infection?) after the man (i think he’s a foreigner) inserted something (other than his, you know) in the lady’s, you know.
After the looooong investigation focusing on the ewww-y details of the event, there’s a piece of legislation made that expanded the definition of rape to include instruments other than the male’s you know what.
[Reply]
Vibe-rater Reply:
February 7th, 2010 at 11:00 pm
Mark, I think this was the case of a boy named Rosario (I think it was a homosexual pedophilia case) who died because a vibrator was stuck in his @$$ by the foreign “client.”
[Reply]
I really don’t buy to this “in aid of legislation” crud. I always replace it with “in aid of destabilization”.
Silly Dark Senate (free virtual cookies for those who get the reference), coining a word which doesn’t even fit the standards of international English.
[Reply]
This is nothing more than a demonstration of the deteriorating English skills of our country! haha!
[Reply]
Chino Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 6:42 am
May I add, this probably reflects the attempts Filipinos make to try and make impressive language. They think that adding more “ooomph” to their wordiness makes them look better or at least more believable, and “fiscalizer” is one of these lame attempts. Sadly, it’s another example of the Filipino fascination for form over substance.
Spoof of Manilyn Reynes’ song:
“Porma ka ng porma
Eh ang pangit mo naman… “
[Reply]
May Party Sa Dasma Wala Akong Wheels Reply:
February 2nd, 2010 at 9:26 pm
Naisip ko lang, verbose pomposity is exactly Margallo’s (a man who admires the scum between Noynoy’s toes) style. So many, many words that amount to nothing but pseudo-intellectual flatulence. He does have a gut fetish, mind you. For our mahirap na kababayans, being walang laman ang tiyan nila, it’s all gas.
Par-taaaay!
[Reply]
ChinoF Reply:
February 6th, 2010 at 5:09 am
Wait a. Fail ako sa Pinoy popular culture quiz. Si Joey Albert pala ito, hindi si Manilyn. hehehe
[Reply]
The term “in aid of legislation” can also be a funny thing nowadays.
I can hardly recall a televised, high-profile senate session that led to actual legislation…after all the showboating done by actors/Senators portraying public prosecutors.
It only looks good while we see the drama unfold on tv.
At the end of the day, we usually ask ourselves: WHAT'S THE CONCLUSION? WHERE ARE THE LAWS?
[Reply]
ano masama sa pag-imbento at paggamit ng bagong inggles na kataga? sa linggwitika tanggap na tanggap na ang wika ay nagbabago at umuunlad. kung anu-ano pa sinasabi niyo… samantalang napakalinaw na si Noynoy lang at kung ano ang (makitid niyong pananaw sa) Pinoy ang nais niyong banatan.
kung talagang matalino ka dr jose rizal, hindi ka nagtatago sa likod ng pangalan ng ibang tao. kabastusan yan sa pangalan ni rizal.
[Reply]
usi Reply:
March 21st, 2010 at 3:22 am
@Louie: san ka ba galit? sa pagpuna nya ng imbentong salita o sa pagbulgar nya ng pagka-slacker ni noynoy?
matalino ang sumulat nito..kelangang kelangan ng pathetic na bansa natin ng mga bagong Rizal..di mo lang napansin yung ‘the second’ sa nick nya..
haller??
[Reply]
Alam mo kasi, okey lang na magimbento ng salita pero gayonpaman, hindi ito dahilan para magimbento ng salita upang pagtakpan ang kakulangan ng isang tao. Masyado kang bobo para maintindihan to.
[Reply]