Actress-singer Saab Magalona appealed for Twitterverse to stop using the phrase “sco pa tu mana” which has recently gained ground on the microblogging platform.
Using the phrase itself, she wrote a slight derivation of it in which the last two words mean “enough” in Filipino.
Sco pa tu tama na
— Saab (@saabmagalona) August 5, 2019
Her post immediately reached thousands of likes and retweets.
Most of the Filipinos simply expressed amusement while there were those who agreed with her sentiments.
So annoying right !!!
— Raleene (@raleene) August 5, 2019
Hahahahahah oo nga ano ba meaning nun?! đđđđđ
— un poco loco (@nicachloie) August 5, 2019
While the exact date of its emergence on local Twitter is unknown, the phrase has been trending among Filipino users who usually accompany it with a subject matter to be discussed in a thread.
Some interpret it as “what’s your opinion on this?” or “what’s your unpopular opinion on this?”
scopa tu maana pic.twitter.com/eo2UtWFUF8
— Silakbo PH (@SilakboPH) August 3, 2019
Sco pa tu manaa đ§ pic.twitter.com/HFGhcz2RZT
— Alaissa Dimdam, Psd (@alaipsd) August 4, 2019
Sco pa tu manaa? https://t.co/bGn30Am8rW
— EiruTheKyubiSama (@eiruminamino) August 3, 2019
An American-Ghanaian Twitter user claimed that “sco pa tu mana” is another way of asking or sourcing unpopular opinions from people.
sco pa tu manaa is basically another way of unpopular opinions
— zel (@denzeldion) July 31, 2019
Various reports trace the supposed origin of the phrase to a song performed by Ghanaian musician Kawoula Biov with Patapaa titled “Daavi Neba” released earlier this year.
It is heard in the 1:42 mark of the song’s official video.
The phrase does not reportedly mean anything in Ghanaian.
Patapaa, meanwhile, is a singer known for “introducing new words” in his tracks.
“Sco pa tu mana” eventually made its way to Twitter in May when user @MercedesSlimBoy shared a picture of a signage promoting church services.
Sco pa tu manaa? pic.twitter.com/kxi3XzmLRR
— DieuDonnĂ© (@MercedesSlimBoy) May 1, 2019
It was then interpreted by various users to mean as “what’s your unpopular opinion?” or “what do you think about this?” until it reached Philippine shores.