LAST Saturday, October 19, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) offloaded a plane full of passengers. This happened in Negros Occidental at the Cebu Pacific Airlines and occurred following an issue that came to the crew’s attention.
The issue in question was a conversation between two Filipino passengers, who have since been identified as Reynaldo Aleroso and Ernesto Erise. A crew member overheard the two talking about “watusi”, wherein Alereso asked Erise: “Oi, naubos na ba yung watusi mo?”
This immediately alerted the crew member, who asked for further clarification with regard to their conversation. The two then explained that in gay language, “watusi” means “condom”.
Despite this explanation, the airline still deplaned all passengers and cargo, wherein they conducted a K9 bomb-sniffing inspection, as well as security paneling, reports say.
The flight was able to leave from Silay City to Manila within the same day, and Aleroso and Erise were rebooked for a later flight in the afternoon on that same day.
What is “watusi”?
A watusi is a type of Christmas firework which is known to be rather dangerous. The National Library of Medicine even reports that it has caused the deaths of hundreds of children through phosphorus poisoning, as many children try eating them after mistaking them for candy.
This item can also be bought for relatively cheap, hence its popularity.
Gay or “beki” language has also, however, become increasingly popular in the Philippines, with some terms falling under it being “bes”, “charot”, and now, “watusi”.
Netizens only have found the situation to be rather humorous, while others have reminded people to act accordingly depending on where they are.
This simple, honest mistake is a reminder that one should be careful with what they discuss within the airport or on an airplane, as matters such as explosives or bomb threats, even jokingly, will not be taken lightly.
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