Last month, a group of educators, scholars and other prominent individuals filed a petition in the Supreme Court questioning the policies of the government which mandate the use of English as medium of instruction in schools. This sparked a spirited debate in mainstream media and of course in the blogosphere as to what should be the best language to be used in Philippine schools.
Wow Manila gives a backgrounder to the controversial memo of President Gloria Arroyo pertaining to the main language to be taught in schools:
“On May 17, 2003, the President Arroyo promulgated Executive Order No. 210 titled “Establishing the Policy to Strengthen English as a Second Language in the Educational System.” The salient points of the EO are the following:
* English should be taught as a second language at all levels of the educational system, starting with the First Grade;
* English should be used as the medium of instruction for English, Math and Science from at least the third Grade level;
* The English language shall be used as a primary medium of instruction in all public institutions of learning at the secondary level.”
Petitioner Patricia Licuanan appeals for a broader appreciation of the problems besetting Philippine education:
“It's not just English—it's the whole educational system! The deterioration of English must be understood in the context of the general decline in Philippine education. The problem we are facing is not simply the deterioration of English. It is also the deterioration of Math and Science, and it is this general decline that undermines the competitiveness of the Filipino and the Philippines. Indeed, undue emphasis on English may distract us from the bigger problem. Upgrading education in general should improve the quality of English as well.”
Tugot supports the memorandum order of the President. Blackshama's blog contributes in the language debate. A nagueño in the blogosphere agrees with the arguments of the petitioners. Filipina soul presents two views on the issue, and her post generated a lively discussion.
Philippine Schools Online reviews past proposals on the language issue and mentions the current legislative measures favoring the use of English in schools. My Philippine Life looks into the language policies in the country.
A must-read: Manuel L. Quezon III uploads the pertinent documents, news articles, opinion pieces and shares his perspective on the ‘language wars’ in the Philippines.
Perhaps the most intelligible blogpost in advocating the adoption of English comes from Philippine Commentary. A sample of his views:
“The main point I think is that English is an integral and inseparable and most substantial part of the Filipino cultural heritage–ineradicably a part of our intellectual, educational, and historical patrimony. Its rejection and treatment as “foreign” is a twisted form of the self-loathing that some people wish us all to practice as “nationalism.” What they actually are propagating is a romantic kind of aboriginalism that masks a more modern and leftist agenda…Nearly 100 percent of all major scientific papers are published in English, even by non-native English speakers, not only in Computer Science, but in Physics, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Medicine, and the rest of the hard sciences. English is unavoidably the lingua Anglica of the world in this historical epoch, even if it irks the Filipino nationalists and their ideologies of resentment.”
Philippines Without Borders on why the need to master the English language?
“Because everybody else is trying to do the same. Right now, there are probably close to 400 million native English speakers, making English the third largest language next to Mandarin Chinese and Spanish…We should not dilly-dally on embracing policies that would restore the importance of English in Philippine society.”
Seek no more links to an article written by Babe Romualdez on the mistake to reject English as the medium of instruction:
“Filipinos are clearly losing out because of that very big mistake to abolish the use of English as a medium of instruction 20 years ago. Today, a lot of employers are complaining about the deteriorating quality of our graduates, and the fact that majority of them lack the required skill and facility in the English language.”
A small gleaning factory provides an excerpt of a study on the origins of Taglish: a combination of Tagalog and English. The sane unstable2: fighting temptations on school rules in learning English and the uses of this foreign language in Philippine society. Voltaire Oyzon on why English is patronized in the provinces:
“One common misconception about the Philippines is that it speaks only one language–and that is Tagalog (honey-coated as Filipino). In fact, Tagalog/Filipino speakers comprise only 29 percent of the total population and the rest are non-Tagalog…If English is a threat to the Tagalog/Filipino language because it is foreign, then Tagalog/Filipino is also a threat to all the non-Tagalog languages for the same reason. The English language, from the non-Tagalog point of view, is neutral in the sense that it is used globally.”
The Pinoy has an article which notes the concern of foreign investors and business sector on the deteriorating English proficiency in the country. But Businessmirror reports that some Japanese companies are leaving the country, and transferring to China, Thailand and Vietnam because few workers speak Niponggo in the Philippines.
hapoNessa on why the government wants students to learn English:
“Let's face it, the Philippine's biggest export is human labor, and the only thing keeping our economy afloat are those dollar remmittances. The government wants us to learn English so that we can find jobs abroad. We're not learning English for our benefit, we're learning it to serve our masters.”
ThirtySomething v4.3 quotes various studies on the importance of emphasizing native language in the education of children:
“Beyond the preachy rhetorics, other studies on bilingual and multi-lingual methods of education across the world also show that students do better in school if they are taught in their mother tongue instead of an English-only medium of instruction…Why is Malacañang then so petulant on insisting an English-homogenized medium of instruction in schools?”
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I believe that spanish should be taught in the philippines because the filipinos need the language to better understand their history. Whether they like it or not,the philippines is a hispanic country not an anglo one. Remember,it was named after king Felipe of Spain!!! I’m married to a beuatiful filipina and she loves the spanish language because she feels that it’s more filipino than english. The thing that bothers me the most is how the americans messed up the language/culture in just fifty years. Muchas gracias,Salamat
When I was in the Elementary Grades (1952 - Grade I), English was the medium of instruction. This provided me with a very great advantage in competing for jobs here in the United States. I have seen Filipino grade school students in the cebuano-speaking regions struggle with the Tagalog-based Filipino language. Why were they forced to learn a second language which they will not even use in their homes and their day-to-day conversation with other children? If you really think about it, using Filipino as the medium of instruction was a great disservice to the Filipino people. It has made the level of intelligence of generations of Filipinos very low as if it was intentionally implemented to make Filipino subservient and ignorant and easily manipulated to become “unitelligent voters”. The best example of the great disadvantage it (Filipino medium of instruction) has created is in our nurses who are now here in the United States - they do not know how to speak English. Yes, they speak a few words of English but by rote. They cannot think in English so they have to translate it first in thought before verbalizing the English translation of their thoughts. By that time, the person he or she was conversing with has become confused. Our nurses are unable to converse in English as they are unable to answer correctly the State Nursing Board Exam questions because they find it difficult to understand the questions. Although some nurses are able to adjust their thought processes in 2 years, some do not and still continue to find difficulty in speaking in English. These Filipino nurses survive in the facilities they are working in because working with them are other Filipino nurses who converse with them in their native tongues - Cebuano, Ilongo, Waray, Tagalog and Ilocano. The nurses are able to retain employment because there is a lack of nurses, but they are not upgraded to the higher nurse level because of lack of capability to speak proper English. The absence of ability to think and converse in English is one handicap that a Filipino can avoid if they are already taught to read and speak English in the conversational English language in the primary grades. They will be able to express themselves intelligently by the time they finish High School (intelligence is built up and developed by reading and taking in information from books and other resources. Children who speak their native regional tongue, i.e. cebuano, ilongo, etc. would not be able to build up and develop an intelligence based on the Tagalog-based Filipino language.) Since the Tagalogs are speaking more “Taglish” as ever, this just goes to show that English should be the dominant language in our schools. We do not need to learn or further embellish our own dialect since we already know how to speak and understand them. By insisting on the Filipino language as the educational medium of instruction, we are limiting the intellectual development of generations of Filipino children who will grow up intellectually inferior and deficient for a fast developing global environment. Those who insists on confining the educational medium of instruction to the Tagalog-Filipino language cannot possibly see the ill-effects the medium has on the nation unless they want the country to isolate itself from the rest of the world. The economy of the country floats on the currency sent to the country from Filipinos overseas. The country would not have so many oversea workers if those workers did not know how to speak English.
This comment was deleted at the request of the commenter.
The Philippine government doesn’t get it! English is to the advantage of the youngsters especially if they’re looking for work abroad. So leave it alone, teach English as soon as the children start schooling. Do the old fashion way, speak and write English, you’ll be glad you did because I did. Our three children were all born here in the US and I never spoke to them in the Pangasinan dialect or Tagalog because I don’t want them to get lost or confused when they start school and yet they can all understand when my husband and I speak the dialect and the irony of it all is our oldest daughter has a master’s degree in Ethnic Studies and she knows more about the history of the Philippines than any of us in our family and we were all born and educated in the Philippines and we learned Philippine history (part of it). So give those children a break and an advantage teach them how to speak and write English, it’s the international language of the world even Chinese are learning it.
Teresita G Humilde
Sacramento, CA 95833
USA
There is something peculiarly bizarre about a debate over which of two languages to use, in which the most eloquent and passionate arguments of BOTH sides are nonetheless couched in one of those two languages.
More’s the irony in the stunning fact that almost all the Petitioners who oppose the use of English as primary medium of instruction in the high schools (meaning 70% of subjects will use English)–almost all the Petitioners make a living or practice a profession that involves the use of English language, as pundit, professor, or National Artist, writing and publishing and teaching in the real world. As if they are feeling guilty about something…
The root of their confusion is a kind of aboriginal conception of what constitutes the modern Filipino’s “cultural heritage.” They adopt the “Renato-Constantinoesque” view that anything that came from Spain, and especially America, is “foreign” and “colonial” and ought to be largely despised for not being truly our own. Yes of course that is how it started. But now some of these things have become a part of us and what we inherit from the past, as much as anything from some distant Malay and Hindu-Arabic past, if not indeed more, much more, as Benedict the XVI recently claimed for Christianity.
But just look at one hundred years of Constitution making and Supreme Court Decision making, to which august bodies these folks now appeal for a reversal of time itself. There is at least a century now of English language heritage there, since every single Constitution, Law and Supreme Court Decision ever written and rendered in the Philippine Archipelago has been written originally in English.
By the way, I am an adept and afficionado of ancient Tagalog poetry, yet I know, as a physicist, that it has neither the vocabulary nor the utility for the study of quantum mechanics, or Nursing, or computer engineering. I treasure it even more for that singular lack of relativity and relevance.
The use of English is in no way a cultural heritage of the Philippines, Spanish is more so even though Corazón Aquino’s government abolished its use. Even Gloria Arroyo is a fluent Spanish-speaker as are the Aquino family! You should reinstate Spanish and teach both English and Spanish if anything.
I am american married to a bicolana…
I am amazed and intrigued with the history of the country.
The national pride is amazing.
I am also amazed that the current generation is so far away from their local roots that they aren’t aware of their own dialects in some cases. English is important …yes. I grew up in Chile and am a fluent Spanish speaker. So spanish helps me when it comes to Tagalog. A national language is important for unity, but a global language is important also for national sucess. In the States the fastest growing alternate language is Spanish and a lot of americans are up in arms about it…but ignorant to the solution being that they should learn it…the fact of the matter is the more language you know and don’t limit yourself to, the more flexible and able to perform you are… Some european nationals have command of three and four languages… Do I have the answer? NO just an opinion as does everyone else.
English seems to be the language of the world, it doesn’t mean the world is bowing to the american ideal or compromising their national pride… It just means the world can get smaller and more people can look outside the box of isolation and share their positive cultural/ economic qualities.
Muchas gracias, Salamat, Thank you
National Language = Spanish YES
Secondary Language = English YES
I believe those who are against English (or Spanish) education in the Philippines are misguided in their sense of nationalism. Even in countries where the people speak amongst themselves only the native language, the ability to speak English is an asset that is required in any field, because of cross-international business relations, and any country who wants to build it’s economy is going to have to do business with another country whether they want to or not, importation and exportation is how the world’s countries build their economies, and even if Pilipino is important, let’s be realistic, Filipino kids don’t need schooling to have a fundamental sense of how to speak Pilipino since it’s their birth language. How else will they, especially the poor, learn English? From the television? Of course not, most of the poor can’t afford Cable TV (where most of the English entertainment is), and most shows on Antenna are in Tagalog. From other Filipinos? Unless you’re surrounded by Filipinos who grew up in the states all the time, chances are the best English they’ll learn from Filipino peers is Taglish at most. IT’S THE SCHOOLS WHERE THEY WILL LEARN ENGLISH, AND THAT WILL HELP BUILD THE PHILIPPINES, overseas jobs and Filipinos working overseas has nothing to do with the benefits that come from learning English, because where will the Philippines get the money to rebuild itself? Money doesn’t grow on trees, we’ll have to rebuild the economy by doing some type of exportation/importation, and are you gonna communicate in Tagalog with Europeans, Latin Americans, or Americans? Of course not, they don’t speak Tagalog, but what language will they most likely have learned? English of course. Nationalism is good, but when it’s misplaced and is coming up with objectives that offer a glaring view into the Filipinos’ own insecurities about language and about sosyalness of English (which it shouldn’t be in the first place), then nationalism can be detrimental to the growth of a nation in that respect. You shouldn’t be against the teaching of English just because you think it will be unnationalistic or show that Filipinos aren’t proud to be Filipino, that’s a ridiculous notion, in a showing of Filipino pride, Filipinos would learn foreign languages to try to improve the economy of the Philippines through business relationships and networking.
On a sidenote, Spanish will be reinstated as an official language by January 2008 according to GMA:
La presidenta filipina pedirá ayuda a España para oficializar el español
http://es.noticias.yahoo.com/efe/20070808/ten-la-presidenta-filipina-pedira-ayuda-6cd3e4e_1.html
I’d also like to add that language is best learned as a child, once a child hits puberty, the ability to assimilate a language becomes more difficult, so if we are going to teach the Filipinos to speak better English or Spanish or French or any language, it has to start when they’re children.
Spanish is also good, because it’s also announced that by 2030, Spanish will be the second most spoken language in the world, and it’s ridiculously easy for Filipinos to learn Spanish since it’s our language as well, and many Filipinos already speak even a little bit of Spanish.
Spanish should be taught in the Philippines, for us to better appreciate our history. I think, Spanish would be an easier subject compared to English, because most of our words are Spanish-based.
Reinstate the Spanish language, but please do not abolish English in the curriculum.
Spanish/Tagalog - National language
English -Secondary language
I agree, spanish should be brought back since it’s easire for the filipinos to learn. It will help the philippines economically, since spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the world..anddd..required for many jobs. spanish in the philippines is more important than tagalog because spanish had influence on my filipino languages/dialects..when tagalog barely had any…but since it already is the national language..it probably always will…so spanish/tagalog National language..and english second..because that’s just as important
why cant people just agree to disagree. I mean if others want to use English all day every day then go ahead, if you want to learn or use Spanish well then knock yourselves out. Its not hard to learn Spanish and definitely not hard to learn English. Lets not make indolence an excuse. Maybe the Filipino language was required or forced for us to learn to simply promote unity. Considering the great number of dialects we have as a “nation?”. anyhow im really new at this conversation thing. im nor even sure if im making a point here.
SPANISH LANGUAGE SHOULD BE REINSTATED IN THE PHILIPPINES AS IT IS PART OF OUR HERITAGE.
ENGLISH IS AN IMPORTANT LANGUAGE BUT FOR US FILIPINOS WE SHOULD LEaRN SPANISH FIRST AS IT WAS OUR FIRST OFFICIAL LANGUAGE.
SPANISH SHOULD BE TAUGHT FIRST IN ELEMENTARY FOR THE YOUNG FILIPINOS TO START KNOWING THE LANGUAGE.
IT IS OUR HERITAGE…OUR CULTURE THEREFOR WE SHOULD EMBRACE IT.
Me alegro mucho de que por fin podamos comunicarnos en eapañol.
Viva las Filipinas!!
Animo a todos para conservar nuestra cultura hispana
I too also agree that Spanish should be re-instated as co-official language alongside Filipino and English. Spanish has a significant cultural heritage as mentioned by many people previously. Much of the Philippine history is written in Spanish and the term ‘Filipino’ itself is of Spanish origin. Filipinos would gain an international reputation and liguistic skills being able to speak three languages, two of them being international languages English and Spanish respectively. The Philippines would be more internationally known and accesible to both the English and Spanish speaking worlds, that is not to say that people from other countries not of English nor Spanish background would still be able to access the Philippines as well. The Spanish language is part of Philippine culture, it is a missing piece that when re-instated should stregthen Philippine nationalism and unity like it did in the time of the Philippine revolution.
bket may filipino pa poh kung ayaw nyo ng gamitin??
it is really good to learn other language, pero wag naman poh natin kalimutan yung sarili nating language, kasi ito yung identity natin as a pilipino eh…
Bakit hindi ibalik ang espanol?
Don;t forget your own country.
I read all of the comment….about the language between Spanish, English and Philippines. I dissagree Some of you. Because the Philipines they speak fluent English than other country.
I agree to some of the filipino they forgotten where they came from, So thats why theyre a lot of american people mad.
The argument here is not what language is better in itself but which medium will best suit training and education in light of new opportunities for the youth.
English is good in so far as mathematics and the sciences go. But it should be tempered in other subjects. Indeed, the local vernacular should be used and not Filipino, which is essentially Tagalog.
Spanish was done away with in the same spirit as Latin was removed from the general curriculum. However, it should be offered as an elective to high school students who want to learn more about the Philippines’ Spanish past.
Tagalog is Tagalog, and no one can dispute its primacy among the Philippine dialects. However, the purity of Ilocano, Chavacano, Ilonggo, and other dialects should be preserved and encouraged to flourish. Tagalog as a medium of instruction should only be used to explain and showcase Tagalog based culture.
Like it or not, the Philippines is a country blessed with a multi-lingual population. To impose a blanket language on everyone, whether English or Tagalog, is criminal and immoral.
I long for the day when a Filipino can speak to another Filipino and not embarrass or berate him. I also long for the day when everyone of my countrymen are proud of themselves and of their country and of their heritage.
This will never happen if we speak Tagalog/Filipino. I am a Visayan and I speak Cebuano. How dare one call the Tagalog language Filipino! What a disgrace! Am I not a Filipino? I will never desert my mother tongue.
I suggest we learn a world language because it would help us economically. One must not forget, before those treacherous Americans invaded our country, massacred our people, and poisoned our culture, we had our own constitution written by Filipinos in Spanish! Spanish was spoken in every major city in the Philippines and IS the mother tongue of some people already. Rizal wrote to us in Spanish, and Spanish is much easier for a Filipino to learn. We must not forget who and what made our country. Before the Spaniards came, we were running around in banana leaves. Every single language has been affected by it, to a much more extent than English has. We are all able to count in Uno, Dos, Tres and we all know what Pebrero and Miyerkules are.
Now, I know that English is a very “important” language. It’s only for those want to do business or work for an American. I hope in the future, a Filipino can have his own business. Some workers in the States don’t even speak English; they speak Spanish and get by very well. I hope that we stop sending all these Filipinos overseas and make our own da*n money here within our borders! I’m not saying that we should quit all of the English. We have many intelligent, fluent people that can serve our country also. I am saying that it should not be required and it should definitely not be our medium of instruction to our Filipino children. If one doesn’t know, we have a lot to offer the world.
Spanish is entrenched in our culture and for one to give that up for Hollywood is a fake themselves! If your a Real Filipino, speak Spanish! We stopped being Indios a long time ago, so stop acting like one.
One must read these powerful works by our forefathers. Mi Ultimo Adiós, by Rizal, is so beautiful, and we can’t even read the original because we need it translated. How embarrassing!
La única cosa que yo pido es que abráis tus ojos y veáis el daño que sucedido y sigue sucediendo. También abrid los corazones y las mentes y aprended todo que es posible. Éso es el Filipino verdad. Solamente, veo potencial en Las Filipinas. Nuestra país es en una posición única del mundo. Utilizadlo.
Oh, yea.
I forgot in my comment that Spanish is the unifying factor. UNIFYING!
¡Viva la Revolución!
Solo pido a los filipinos que acierten en su decisión y que comprendan que una lengua sirve para UNIR Y COMUNICAR, NO para dividir e ignorar a los demás por no hablarla.
UNIDOS VENCERÉIS.
I am quite amazed by the number of those people who want to reinstate Spanish in the curriculum. i just wish this would happen soon. *excited*
i’m not saying that Filipino/Tagalog is not essential. of course it is, and it will forever be. it’s like the air we breathe.. or like,, if someone takes it away, we’d be like the fish craving for water. our mother tongue is like our “tsinelas/slippers” that we go home to after a long day of hard work in our shoes… enough of the crazy similes.. hehe!
and please, don’t forget English, it’s a global language, and is considered as the language of commerce. how can one possibly transact business with other people if he doesn’t know the language of his clients?
let’s be realistic. speak your client’s language. English, Spanish, and Chinese are the most spoken languages all over the world. And to learn just one of these makes a person competent enough to access the world. how much more if one learns all three?!? the whole world is just a word away. and that is what i call, a truly GLOBAL FILIPINO.
Creo que es muy importante que el español vuelva a ser uno de los idiomas oficiales en Filipinas ya que fue el primer idioma oficial en ese país, y su cultura está influenciada por este idioma. Sería muy lindo en unos años que haya una unión en cinco continentes con un mismo idioma. Europa (España), Latinoamérica, África (Guinea Ecuatorial), Asia (Filipinas), Oceanía (Isla de Pascua)
english should be used as the medium of instruction in schools and not any language. for the sake of globalization, we have to be competitive. english is used worldwide. even the chinese who are known to be so centered on their culture are learning it now. we filipinos are so blessed because we are natural language learners. our tongue adapts to the english language and one should not demerit it as if it’s an attack to patriotism or disvaluing one’s heritage. Rizal once said that “ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika ay higit pa sa mabahong isda”. but it doesn’t mean that it’s not right to learn another language. learning another language is like expanding our horizon, our views, our knowledge… i think this is not a question of what should be the right language to be used. this is just a matter of acceptance to what is going on around us. filipinos are bilinguals. we are gifted with tongues. its an advantage. english performs a function only in the realms of the academe and in the business world. but outside that, we use our native language in expressing ourslves especially when it’s personal in nature. that’s what u call as “diglossia”. a certain language is used in a specific function. so, english to classroom instruction or formal occasions, and our dialects to other functions such as our own literature and other occasions which are informal in nature.
I think that we should use english as a medium of instruction in schools all we need is practice so we could improve speaking in english.But it does not mean that we must ignore our own language.Both Filipino and English can be helpful in our daily living.We cannot easily abolished one of them.Or else it could be worst!!!
I am a Filipino and to be a Complete and true Filipino , We should learn how to speak the language of our ancestors the language that united this country, the language that has been suppressed by the anglos! the true language of this nation! ESPAÑOL!
Which is now a days very useful, and it is an INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE!
VIVA ESPAÑOL!! La lengua de la Primera Republica, La Lengua de los filipinos como Rizal, Aguinaldo, etc….
(Stating the obvious consequences)
If the Philippine Government adopts English, it will make it easier for the FBI, CIA, et al…
So, for me and the other Filipinos (in my area or others) , NO! NEVER!
I believe the Philippines needs to revive the Baybayin script… (because I’m a militant nationalist)… jk jk jk
Hola, I read all the comments about reinstating the spanish language as one of the official language in the Philippines. I met the president last month, she visited us here in Madrid, Spain. Apperently Im living in Madrid at the moment. I am so happy,proud and excited I am learning spanish as part of assimilation in their society. I would really advise Filipinos to learn the language, not because I am PRO Spanish or something, But I think Filipinos are designed for greatness in all aspect. Filipinos have a great reputation here in Spain. Once they learned the language they adopted signaifically and effectivelly in the society. We´re the only one who can speak English amongs the Latino also working and living here in Spain. Spain is welcoming workers from the Philippines and I guess we should improved our spanish heritage in order for as to assimilate well in their society. Coming 2030 Spanish will be the number 1 language in the US. Americans are flooding madrid and other cities just to learn spanish.I make sure I read EL PAIS newspaper and watch the news on TVE Española everyday. I am blessed to be here and be integrated everyday in their culture. Ojala! One day I´ll be a Spanish professor in the Philippines. Who knows?
For high standards or for the student’s ability, I think there should be more foreign language education offered in the country. How about some online language courses in college/university level in the country. Of, course, I think it’s better to have books or modules or CD’s at hand. And oh, I myself have been saving for tutorial classes by the native speakers of languages X,Y,Z. Also, I can’t afford to go abroad to learn the languages I’m interested in.
But, then again I’m all for the Filipino language (and other dialects) as medium of instruction and communication [in schools and the country] since the Philippines is the country of the Filipinos. I myself used to be burgis, berated by my classmates at school. But now I’ve changed even if only for the fact that Big Brother might be spying on us. I now take pride in the unique linguistic diversity of the archipelago. For your info, as if you didn’t know yet, Filipino is now available in language translation software. I thought that’s only used among us Filipinos, now it’s also used for intelligence gathering by aliens. Que Horror!
Filipinos should learn Spanish and English that way you are more marketable both in America and Europe. There are plenty of jobs here in US that will pay you more if you speak both English and Spanish. Also if you already know pilipino it would be easy for you to learn Spanish. And most importantly Filipino history are written in Spanish.
Yes! We should learn Spanish, English and other language like Jose Rizal wrote to us in Spanish, and Spanish is much easier for a Filipino to learn.
Question;
Why was Tagalog or AKA Filipino, chosen as the lingua-franca of the archipelago?
Seems to me it only insulted those in Cebu, Mindanao and places outside Manila and gave an upper-hand in the socio-economic structure to those who live in the Manila metropolis.
Spanish should replace Tagalog as the lingua-franca being its neutral capability albeit a colonial language and demoting Tagalog to a regional language.
While English should be mastered for the purpose of globalized economy.
Remember, English is an official language in over 50 countries and Spanish is an official language in 20. You do the math and remember, as proud I am to be Filipino, speaking Tagalog, Ilocano, Cebuano…does NOT guarantee bread on the table for the family.
The Philippines is poised to the cultural giant of Asia.
Listen “primos”, we cannot compete with the other economic dragons -also known as- China, Japan and Korea.
What Filipinos have that they do not have is two historical legacies -Spain and the U.S.- that NATURALLY connects us culturally, linguistically and historically with both regions. The geographic location of the Philippines is in Asia.
I suggest we take all three components and develop as a cultural “liason” that would make the Philippines a different kind of “dragon”.
Arroyo-Macapagal is reinstating the language, NOT to make the Philippines solely a Spanish-speaking country. That is nonsense and ridiculous. Nor do I think she will change the math and science books from English to Spanish.
I think she just wants the new generation to be “exposed” to the language from grade 1 through high-school for the sole reason of positioning the arhipelago to be marketable not only to Asia and the U.S., but to Latin America which boasts 20 sovereign countries and 400 million plus (and growing rapidly) Spanish world-wide. At the elementary school perhaps one hour a day. In middle school, one class and the same in high-school.
Exposing is far different from “replacing”. GET THAT STRAIGHT.
Culturally, there may be enough Spanish speakers in the P.I. soon so they can study in its purest, the true atrocities of our 350 years of Spanish historical ties and not tinted by the American intrusion.
What I project is, even if 5% of the population of 90 million be fluent, it would be enough to woo Latin American investors. It is equally beneficial for them also, being there major trading partners are generally with Europe and the U.S. If anything it should be “mandatory” in Zamboanga and two or three school districts in Cebu. Then, let the chips fall as they may.
Are we going to let the Chinese or the Japanese get ahead of us in this arena too?
WAKE-UP people. Know the facts, know the players and let her rip!
You have to remember. the Chinese and Japanese make English a mandatory requirement in their school system. At what level, I don’t know.
The difference is English and Spanish is in our history therefore in our way of being -like it or not.
For China and Japan learning the English language is to continue its dominance in the global economic realm.
Peru boasts a total of one-million people of Chinese and Japanese descent.
Brazil boasts a total of one-million people of Japanese extraction that speak Portuguese. Portuguese speakers understand 80% of Spanish being they are both Romance languages.
GET IT? We, who have names that are Hispanic, a legacy, tradtions, customs and food cannot not even SPEAK IT?
The Chinese and Japanese are doing it AGAIN! WAKE UP!!!!
Having met many filipino-nationals it is quite embarrassing to listen to them speak. I’ll give you a perfect example of what is happening to English in the Philippines. Listen to Manny Pacquio ! !
Filipinos, what the hell happenned? I mean, Americans of all nationalities used to envy Filipinos for being able to speak English better than any other incoming immigrant group. Then, I have relatives who visit, and their children cannot even hold a conversation in English ! ! It’s pretty pathetic.
Man, master or re-master the English language and know that nationalism is not a guarantee to put food on the table. Take out Tagalog out the schools and put it into the homes, and leave English in the schools and NOT mix it with Tagalog.
Thank You.
Remember, the fact that black, white or hispanic people here speak English, does NOT necessarily mean their ancestoral roots are from Britain.
Spanish is NOT to be reinstated as an official language to replace English, Filipino nor the other indigenous dialects, but to elevate it from its optional status to prepare the NEW generation for a smaller globalized community that THEY have to compete in.
I honestly don’t think GMA is counting on you adults, but in fact preparing the youth for THEIR future.
Wake Up!
My goodness,
Look OUTSIDE the cultural Filipino “paradigm” by arguing that Spanish is only defined through a blood-line. At one time it may have. But if you look at Spanish as a “TOOL” to advance the marketability of the Filipino youth in a GLOBAL market, I do not see the harm in that. In addition to the fact that they have “mastered” English.
The language debate there seems to be only “cultural” and only to YOU who are “too-old” to learn. In fact, the reinstatement of Spanish is NOT designed for YOU, but for the YOUTH. From what I understand, the Philippines can use as much assistance as possible for them to compete in a global economy. By my children learning French in school WILL NOT make them FRENCH ! However, if they know English already, an English-French combo will allow them more opportunties outside the Anglosphere. Is this too difficult to understand?
Voltaire Oyzon by far explains the language-debate of the Philippines the best.
I feel the “true” identity of the Philippines should not be defined not in one language. Linguistically, Switzerland would be a good blue-print to exemplify what the Islands should analyze.
In the European continent, the Swiss by all means is not the political or economic giant as defined with Germany, France, Great Britain and Italy. It has four official languages - German, French, Italian and Romanish. The Swiss took advantage of its geographic location and historical legacies -negative and positive- with its larger neighbors thus becoming a banking mecca, tourist capital and international nuetrality to become an important component in Euruopean affairs in general and global diplomacy in particular.
The Philippines has similar potential. It’s three combined components -one geographic (Asian) and two historical-cultural legacies (Hispanic and American)- has been traditionally seen as a “weakness” to formulate ONE sovereign state with ONE language.
In pre-colonial days, the archipelago were different islands and distinct cultures in their own right. It will “always” be unatural to “force” one language to define several distinct sub-cultures.
By themselves, Tagalog, English and Spanish have failed to define what the Philippines is linguistically and culturally. TOGETHER they can.
P.S.
Switzerland - by its geogrpahic location and hisotical legacies with its neighbors - is not Germany, Italy or France.
Likewise, the Philippines - by its geogrpahic location and its historical legacies with Spain and the U.S.- is not Japan, China or Korea.
Both countries have similar dynamics towards forging an identity. The difference is the Swiss “parlayed” its lack of a dominant vernacular and a national “persona”, when compared to being German, French or Italian- clearly to its advantage. I recommend that the Philippines do the same. Then see what happens !
MGA BOBO KASI MGA FILIPINO MAG ARAL NGA KAYO NG SPANISH OR TAKE OUT THE SPANISH LOAN WORDS IN YOUR DIALECT OR BETTER YET TAKE EVERYTHING THAT IS SPANISH TO YOU (NAMES, CULTURE, RELIGION, FOOD, FIESTA) TAKE EVERYTHING OUT PLEASE…
I am a Filipino…..
Filipino is our language…
Mga bobo nga ang mga Filipino kung di nila kayang intindihin to…
Tinalaga ni Manuel Roxas ang FIlipino bilang ating pambansang wika dahil sa pag aakalang ito’y makakatulong upang maging isa ang bansa natin…
Ang Pilipinas ay binubou ng 7107 na isla,
lampas libong mga diyaleko….
at lampas libong mga siyudad…
inisip ni Mauel ROxas na gamit ang Fiipino makaklimutan natin ang ating ma kaibahan….
Ngunit imbes ipagpatuloy ang nais ni Roxas, dumating ang mga Amerikano at sinakop ang ating bansa..
di lang ang ating bansa, kundi pati na rin ang ating kultura…
sa tingin ninyo bakit nagawa nila yon?
dahil natutunan natin ang kanilang wika…
kung sanay binigyan ng importansya ang wikang Filipino,
di sin sanay di natin pinag aawayan kung dapat gamitin natin ang isang wika na di naman atin…
isa akong isang estudyante na nagpapakadalubhasa sa wikang Ingles, ngunit sa pag aaral kung iyon, napag isipan ko na ang Ingles ay isang dayuhang wika, di dapat ipagwalang bahala pero di rin dapat mas bigyang importansya kaysa sa ating sariling wika….
For those who can’t and didn’t understand my comment earlier….I was saying that our heritage should be placed first instead of some foreign language.
Many people are saying that it is essential for a Filipino youth to learn English. Who said so> the Americans. Why? Language can control how we think, it can influence how we perceive things, thus, language can be power. The above comments were said out of baseless and contaminated ideas. By not using English, it would lessen the superiority of the Americans and other English speaking countries. By this, it would lessen the discrimination suffered by the our fellow FIlipinos, Asians, and colored people against those white people. I admit that it would be futile if ONLY the Phiippines would act against English, as futile as the power battle of Japan against America and Europe. Globalization is not only mediated by English, remember, English is only ONE of the many languages used in UN, by not using English, we can break free of the chain and ball that held us down for so long, preventing us to rebel against the colonizer, in territory, culture, and language,and be their slaves. This is a call for all those people who are and were ravaged by the Americans and Europeans, by not using English, we can eliminate their superiority, and make the world a better (no disciminations) place to live in.
Divina, your comment is respected, agreed upon and hands-down true. The ideal situation is that the Philippines speak Tagalog/Filipino solely and, isolated from foreign contamination, develope an economic structure that does not rely on foreign dependency. Thus, providing jobs for all its citizens and envelope a society where one language unites the entire archipelago. This would be an “ideal” situation. However, the world and the Philippines did not evolve that way.
More importantly, you failed to remember that the Tagalog language did the same thing to the Cebuano people, the Ilocano people and other distinct cultures in the archipelago who felt and still feels that Tagalog was imposed on thier ancient cultures that developed in its own right! The primary difference is you think that it is not an issue when it clearly still is.
Cebuanos, are an excellent example of my point. They may speak Tagalog/Filipino, however “in” their homes where thought and creativity are defined, they speak their own vernaculars. So why is Tagalog so different from English when at one time it was just as foreign to the people of Cebu and Mindanao?
It was the untimely intrusion of the Spanish conquistadores that “ironically” coined the term “Filipino” and the Philippines. The only unifying factor that brought the numerous Island cultures together was to “boot-out” the Spanish. Manual Roxas did not have the peoples of the archipelago “vote-in” Tagalog as the lingua-franca. If I’m not correct, He “declared” it. It so happens that this particular language was the language spoken in Manila. How do the people of Manila generalize people who live in the provinces where Tagalog is not their mother tongue? I can only guess they would be looked “down” upon, correct?
The best situation is what the former USSR did, and split the Philippines into smaller republics and let each “island republic” choose what language to make official and who to have diplomatic relations with and whether or not to stay “isolated” or build its economy on foreign trade and cultural exchange. That may be the only far-fetched idea worth thinking about. The Islands were different entities “before” the Spaniards got there. There is reason to believe that they still are under the guise of Tagalog/Filipino being a lingua-franca.
To further my thoughts Divina, after reading your quote. You are absolutely correct, English is not the only language in the U.N., neither is Tagalog/Filipino the “only” language in the Philippines.
My question is, you defintely are an opponent of the English language in the Islands. It is respected and you have solid arguments to uphold your beliefs. However, what is the difference in what English did globally, to what the Tagalog/Filipino language did domestically? To speak English is to communicate with the world as is to speak Tagalog/Filipino is a means to communicate with the inhabitants of the other islands. Both languages, it seems to me, were equally intrusive. It just so happens that Manila happened to be the “de-facto” culture to the Philippines, as was the United States and Europe to the world. Please don’t think that “all” the Islands have “embraced” the Tagalog/Filipino language that solely defines what it is to be Filipino. They do so for national convenience. Likewise, those who promote English do so for global convenience. You feel the same way about English as many Filipinos feel about Tagalog. Don’t be fooled.
If “foreign-contamination” is your argument, then what “foreign” virus gave the Philippines its name and unified the approximately 7000 islands despite this particular colonizers’ negative legacy?
Tell me, when a Cebuano speaker speaks Tagalog/Filipino -albeit with an accent - how do you “honestly” view them at that moment? Then, ask yourself how do THEY feel speaking Tagalog which is not thier first language?
Divina,
If you have answered my last questions honestly, then continue on with your militant “brown-pride” rhetoric. Understand this, your fluency in Tagalog and English mean absolutely nothing when you visit the United States and happen to be at a function where everyone at the function are American-born Filipinos. We will make you feel the way the people of Manila generalize the people in the provinces, only worse! Take it for what its worth!
When one points a finger, always remember there are three pointing back!
A particular language does not guarantee food on the table, money in the bank nor untimely fatal diseases and death even with or without the negative “foreign” elements that have plagued “all” countries including the United States.
Blaming historical elements beyond your control are excellent truths and venues to analyze present day atrocities. In the case of the Philippines, what is your solution? Eliminate English and the “white” man, abolish Catholicism, foreign trade and cultural exchange? Also, let the other islands eliminate Tagalog/Filipino. Then what do you have? 7000 different islands with different languages and governments? Sounds pretty good to me, don’t you think?
Divina,
Who said that Tagalog was the essential component that defines “a” Filipino, the people of Manila, Cebu, Ilocos, Mindanao, or Zamboanga?
I hope you understand what I’m getting at. Look in the mirror first, then without domestic contamination, continue on with your social beliefs.
I think the Philippines should only use Tagalog as the medium of instruction. Furthermore, I think all the other local dialects should be phased out and force all the other provinces to speak Tagalog only. Then, we should eliminate all the “Spanish loan words and English idioms” within the Tagalog language, change our last names if sounds too Spanish or American. Remove all the universities that has any English or Spanish influences and replace it with Tagalog. Change all the documents, street signs to Tagalog only. It doesn’t matter what the people from the province think. Then, let us declare the Chinese and Muslim people as illegal and eventually deport them. It is only then “we” Filipinos can progress! Also, if a Filipino uses “any” Spanish or English word on the street, that person should be monetarily penalized.
Then, we stop all foreign trade and cultural exchanges. We can raise our own animals and grow our own vegetables. Tagalog teachers should make it an effort to be educated in the Tagalog-speaking universities.
Also, we need to change the names of our money from peso to something Tagalog. Let’s not forget, lets change the way we tell time to. That’s sounds too foreign.
When all these things occur, we all will be proud to be Cebuano,err Ilocano, oh I mean Filipino. We don’t need multiple foreign influences and we don’t need so many local vernaculars. It is too confusing. Above all we need to forget our existence over the last 500 years.
Of course we need to change our country’s name also. It is a term coined by the Spanish, I almost forgot. Mabuhay Filipinas.
No English or Spanish. Only Tagalog. That is the one and true language of the “Republic of the 7000 Islands on the China sea north of Indonesia” (Philippines is an American word)…oops, sorry.
This sounds ridiculous doesn’t it. The scary part, is some people actually think this way! God help them.
Lets eliminate any American and Spanish influences, phase-out the local vernaculars, declare anyone Chinese or Muslim to be illegal. Above all, let us only use Tagalog and the history of the area around Manila as the sole experience of the archipelago.
Stop all foreign trade, cultural exchange, and innovative-technical progress.
We can grow our own vegetables, raise our own livestock, and use the carabou, horses and mules as our means of transportation.
We can use “home-pigeons” to communicate within the provinces. But only in the Tagalog language.
We should revert to our pagan religions or become an atheistic society. There is no hereafter anyways. It is only a crutch.
Let us woo-in all the Filipinos abroad because we no longer need thier monetary assistance to put food on the table and clothing on our children.
When we do this, then finally, we can advance our impoverished economy and take our place in world history.
It sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Mabuhay Filipinas!
Doesn’t it seem strange that Manual Roxas 1/2 Castillan, “appointed” by the American administration spoke Spanish fluently, Tagalog and English. Then “declares” Tagalog, not Spanish is the lingua-franca of the Philippines played right into the pawn of the North American scheme of things?
Is it perhaps that in 1936, the Americans still had a political “hang-over” at aftermath of the Spanish-American war, and Manual Roxas happenned to be a perfect puppet to “extend” the U.S.’s global domination in Asia and Spanish would be a “threat, a heroic “yes-man” sort of speak?” Thus, villianizing the Spanish language thus creating our present day linguistic quandry?
Food for thought…
To the Filipinos of ASIA!
A) China is fervently promoting English to thier students. They have a population of 1 Billion.
B) An article in google titled: Korea Dreams to be an English Speaking nation, and is determined to do so.
C) Japan, like Korea, is now opening schools to teach English “beginning” at the elementary level
D) India, whose population is 1 billion, has 35 million English speakers but is less than 4% of its population, yet India now boasts the most computer-engineers in the WORLD.
E) What did the Philippines do? Reverted to Tagalog as the teaching medium in schools.
Likewise, these three countries are urgently promoting thier high-school and university students to learn Spanish as the third language because of Latin America’s growing economy.
What does the Philippines do? No, lets not make Spanish an official language because we are not Spanish, it is our past?
I’m sorry my primos, these are two reasons why American-born Filipinos are so embarassed of you. You are not thinking outside the paradigm.
I think this is why the Philippines are called the “laggards of Asia”! What a shame, beautiful people, unlimited potential, but “nationalism” has BLINDED the advancement of the Filipinos as a collective unit!
Questions:
a) What language did Jose Rizal use to captivate the Islands in his writings and poetry?
b) What language was the medium of instruction in schools in the mid-twentieth century when the Philippines had the second strongest economy in Asia?
c) The Philippines, now, has 20 million citizens living below the poverty level, what language was used as the medium of instruction from 1987 to the present?
Thank you Manila! In your quest to “find” a Filipino identity, you have squandered it by not taking advantage of what was already there! Continue looking!
It seems like Tagalog has only been advantage to the people in and around Metro Manila. With English as the world language of communication, and Spanish fastly becoming a “world” language, why is it that people there in the Philippines are so stubborn to embrace Spanish and English with Filipino as part of thier well-being? People in Zamboanga and Cebu could be the zones where Spanish can be mastered with Tagalog, while the rest of the Philippines stick to Tagalog and English. Heck, if a good number of Filipinos speak Spanish in addition to the vast number that CAN speak English, maybe we could give Spain and the United States a “dose” of their own medicine. Did anyone ever think about that? Neither of our former colonists are in the Philippines anymore. We could take the languages they left behind and become a threat to them!
Look Filipinos.
English cannot be denied as the “world’s medium in science and political diplmacy. Filipinos already speak the best English in Asia, especially in Manila NO DOUBT! Re-master it. The English language has developed the Filipino community in the United States with the reputation of being professionals, a non-burden minority because they assimilate immediately into the American fabric of society, and can identify in cultural and religious practices with English speaking Hispanics, which compose of 15% of the U.S. population and are 34 million strong who see the Philipppines as their “cousins”.
Spanish is an intregal and an important component in the Philippines’ history. Hence “Las Filipinas” and our last names, religion, money, the way we tell time, names of our towns…etc. Re-officialize the language to a “special” status and have it mandatory and mastered in Zamboanga and maybe a few districts in the Visayas, perhaps Cebu and have it continue as an “optional” course in the rest of the Philippines. Zamboanga and Cebu can be revived as the Spanish forts, only this time the Philippines is on the “offense”, not the “defense” as in colonial times. Develop Spanish-speaking Filipino professionals and send them out, or establish a bastion where Latin American and Spanish investors would be comfortable in investing business in ASIA! 20 countries have Spanish as an official language = 400 million speakers. Portuguese speakers naturally understand 80% of Spanish because both are Romance Languages and spoken in Brazil, Portugal and Africa amounting to another 100 million second language speakers.
Tagalog/Filipino can be the language that keep the “Filipino” in tact. It can be the language and already is the language that ties all the Islands together anyways and can continue to do so.
With GMA proposing a “revitalization” of Spanish in the Philippines, understand its horrid past, but embrace the future of what the Philippines can become.
Far-fetched -yes,
Impossible -no!
Again, what other nation in ALL of ASIA has the foundation WITHIN its own soil and culture that has the potential to be a nation that has a renowned world reputation of fluency in thier own Filipino language, English and Spanish, TWO of the UN’s six major official languages.
We are already considered a “model” minority in the U.S. because of English.
We are considered by many the Hispanics of Asia to all of the Hispanic world because of our religious and cultural customs and traditions.
Most importantly, we are hands down THE BEST LOOKING PEOPLE IN ASIA, no doubt. As a nation with three official world languages, it’s time to take on the world!
Bring it on !
Mabuhay Filipinas!
Kudos to the Philippines!
Viva Las Filipinas!
None of these praises are foreign to any Filipino, right?
Food for thought! With GMA silently provoking the return of Spanish, a window of opportunity has opened. Your choice!
Mong Palatino, for PRESIDENT !
This is by far the best web-site, with the most intelligent and thought provoking topics regarding the “language-dilemna” in the Philippines.
Your quotations and sites from M.Roxas, Pinoy.com, Wow Manila…etc provide a balance of ideas and thoughts.
When compared to other blogs - need not mentioned names - and reading thier comments, the bloggers here on your site, offer a degree of knowledge, research and intelligence. Some actually made me analyze a few things. Nonetheless….
Kudos to you, Mr. Palatino!
When I meant other blogs, I specifically meant the “chat-blogs” or “gov.forums”.
There is another excellent site provided by a gentlemen named Llorito; Mastering English in the Philippines.
He is an excellent moderator.
okay look…
here are some generalized terms along with generalized definitions….
White Americans…rulers, government minded, rich, world-power, racists and bigots, superior
African Am….athletes, singers, dancers, welfare, lazy, ex-slaves, loud, big jewels in lovemaking(you know what I mean?) and I hope my child never marries one….
Hispanic……fiesta, good looking, passion, Catholic, lovers, salsa, numerous children, dumb, no education, lazy, powerful and longlasting lovemaking skils
Asian………education, university, industrious, intelligent, computer, no rythym, no social skills, money is a god, ugly women, men with very little pathetically small jewels to attempt to satisfy the opposite gender.
Now, Filipinos always have debated if they considered themselves Asian or Hispanic? C’mon now….which do you choose.
English, Spanish, or Tagalog does not change how people percieve your country, it is how you perceive you perceive yourself.
I think most Filipinos -in the Philippines- would consider themselves Asian if I’m not correct? Because, many believe that we are not Hispanic people? Wow, read the stereotypical generalizations again…then really make a choice.
i am a filipino-brit residing in london. my grandparents came to the u.k. during the 70’s in an exchange program sponsered by the educational ministries.
i say, i have heard that your president is pondering revitalizing the spanish language in the philippines.
well, as a second generation brit, i have visited spain. and there have been filipino-spaniards -for the lack of a better term- that have visited the u.k.
we communicated beautifully in english, and i still eat adobo, pancit etc, and i still practice the catholic religion (on christmas and easter especially). however, the common denominator to the few -flip-spaniards- i have met over the years, is that they felt more comfortable in spain.
that revelation simply baffles me because they were able to communicate fluently in english and could speak filipino to my parents and grandparents. they learned spanish while employed as workers in spain which made it their weakest tongue yet yearned to go back to spain after a mini-holiday here in the u.k.
why may i ask? i think spanish is so deep into the culture, that filipinos, there, don’t even care to acknowledge this wonderful gift.
may i exhort you and say not look at your colinised past in which the spaniards and even the americans for that matter, conquered without honour, but to look ahead to a globalised community? it only seems logical. give it a go!
p.s.
in a striking contrast, the u.k. has a substantial influx of “asian” immigrants, however, they are from the countries of india, pakistan and turkey. tourists from china and japan are considered “oriental” and the smattering of filipinos here are just considered filipino period. i never could understand why?