Mandaluyong Labas o Loob?

Written by Ma. Crystal D. Precones of CED-08-401A

As a Final Requirement on the Course Philippine Popular Culture (GE-ELEC5)

The city of Mandaluyong! Every city has their own popular culture also known as shared
information inside the community and right now it is a privilege for me to share one of my city’s very own.
This place has been known for a lot of stuff just like from being the “Tiger City”, “Most Child Friendly
City in the Philippines (2011)” and even for being a “strategic location for real estate developments” for
being on the heart of the metro. There is a lot more to that but the one that stands out the most is for having
the “National Center for Mental Health (NCMH)” here.

“Uy! Taga saan ka?”... “Mandaluyong po”… “Oh talaga ba? Labas o loob?”

Growing up, I heard a lot of conversation like that and basically it is an inside joke between the
people who resides/resided in Mandaluyong or just even those who happened to study here or know a
person who is a local. Though this has existed for the past decades, I must admit that back then, giving the
fact that I was raised in Mandaluyong since early childhood, I did not know what it was about and I did not
know how to respond to it not until I heard the answer from someone.

If you are someone who is clueless about this old joke, it is your lucky day! Sit tight and relax for
I am about to tell you about it. So disclaimer, this is not something serious and therefore not something that
should be taken personal for it is after all a “joke”.

Here it goes!

The “Taga-Labas” or Labas basically means that you are from Mandaluyong but outside the
NCMH, while the “Taga-Loob” or Loob means that you are from Mandaluyong and inside NCMH and
there is actually noting more to it than that. Now if you still do not entirely get it, it is fine. Usually, those
who deeply fell in love with the city are the ones who could truly feel the humor behind this joke.

If you were to ask me the same question, I would answer sa loob, not to be offensive to other people
but I just think logically. If I would answer sa labas, that could be some other city in a snap of a finger, and
plus, I love humor.

For a related article like this one, you could visit blogspot.com and click to this link
(http://ginalovestravel.blogspot.com/2012/03/tiger-city.html) to be directed to the article automatically.