Torpe
A man who is unable to express his affection to a woman (who may have the same feelings for him) is called a torpe (stupid), dungo (extremely shy), or simply duwag (coward). To call a man torpe means he does not know how to court a girl, is playing innocent, or does not know she also has an affection for him.
If a man is torpe, he needs a tulay (bridge)—anyone who is a mutual friend of him and the girl he loves—who then conveys to the girl his affection for her. It is also a way of ‘testing the waters’ so to speak. If the boy realizes that the girl does not have feelings for him, he will then not push through with the courtship, thus saving face.
