“Marites” mode?
A picture uploaded by a beach resort in General Santos City went viral for featuring a group of women immersed in a conversation with each other.
London Beach Resort and Hotel on July uploaded several pictures of its guests enjoying their vacation at the resort.
Some featured photos of guests partying, chilling at their cottage and enjoying the seawater.
There was also a particular picture that caught online Filipinos’ attention.
It featured five adult females conversing with each other, with at least three of them sporting serious expressions.
The photo had no caption, although it has already amassed a whopping number of 43,000 pure laughing reactions, 75,000 shares and 3,500 comments.
Among those who commented was social media influencer Macoy Dubs, who quipped that the women were conducting “data allocation and information keeping.”
“Qualitative Data Analytics is the key to successful data allocation and information keeping,” he joked in a Facebook reshare, which has earned 4,500 pure laughing reactions.
“Needed ito ng mga Certified Data Gatherers natin para mas mapag-ibayo ang kalakasan ng chlorine sa pagsupo ng bacteria sa mga pook-languyan sa Pansol at kung papaano mas magagamit ang Sea Salt,” Macoy added.
“Here at the Department of Information Technology, naniniwala kami that allocation is the process of requesting access to a data set. If you allocate a data set that exists, the system allows you to open the data set. If you allocate a data set that does not exist, the system creates space for it on an available device and allows you to open that space. #charing,” he said.
Other Filipinos also shared their own reactions in the comments of the beach resort’s post.
“Reunion sa mga marites,” a Facebook user joked.
“Team building ng mga marites,” another user quipped.
“The picture that you can hear,” wrote a different Pinoy with a laughing emoji.
The photo is similar to an old unrelated picture of four adult females talking to each other with serious expressions.
Its origins remain unclear, but it has since been used as a meme by online Filipinos whenever they talk about the typical neighborhood “chismosa” or the “marites.”
A neighborhood “chismosa” refers to a woman who is usually a gossipmonger or someone who always knows the latest gossip or happening about people and delights in talking about them.
Nowadays, the more updated term is “Marites.” Other variations include “Marisa,” “Marisol” and “Mosang,” among others.
The term “marites” has become a cultural shorthand used by online Filipinos to refer to gossip-loving people.
TikTok content creator Justine Luzares, who introduced the character of “Chismosang Marites” in a 2021 video, defines it as someone who is the “queen of gossips,” “mother of all tambays and usiseras,” and the “eyes and ears of the new world.”
Meanwhile, “Marites” is believed to be short for “Mare, ito ang latest.”
“Marisol” refers to “Mareng Tagasulsol” or a provoke. It refers to a person who adds more controversial information to an already hot issue among gossipers.
“Mosang,” on the other hand, is short for “chismosa.”