Philippines: Pilipino versus English: A continuing debate

Sun Jun 29 12:46:36 UTC 2008

Friday, June 27, 2008 Pilipino versus English: A continuing
debate<http://davidllorito.blogspot.com/2008/06/pilipino-versus-english-continuing.html>
*The debate on the use of English and Pilipino as medium of instruction is a
hot topic among the middle class in the Philippines. Lately, I found myself
engaging in a nice discussions with learned persons online. Excerpts
(unedited):*

*GERONIMO SY (Lawyer and columnist. Manila Times):* It is equally true that
speaking English cannot be the end all and be all of our education system,
that not to churn out good English speakers condemns the entire learning
apparatus to hell and hence the fate of our nation. If it were so, then how
do we explain the ascendancy of Japan, the rise of China, the emergence of
Korea and the fast coming Vietnam—all with kindergarten English?

Studies now point to the use of the vernacular as a medium of instruction in
the early years to facilitate teaching and learning. Media has long embraced
Filipino as our lingua franca that sends the message home. It is acceptable
and downright fashionable to speak deep and high Tagalog in political
circles. It is time we take English what it is - a tool to communicate. Stop
the circular arguments on which language comes first.

*TESSY ANG-SEE (famous civic leader):* Master our own first languages first
and we can master the second language better!! In our case, we mastered
Tagalog first, then learned Hokkien (our local dialect, lingua franca of the
Tsinoys here), then learned English and then learned Mandarin!! We are able
to master the first three, mandarin is something else because there was no
speech community to support it and it is more alien to us, being a language
of the north while Hokkien and Tagalog belong to the austronesian
linguistics group.... [i managed to pick up mandarin much later in life
while doing research]

*DAVE LLORITO (journalist, researcher):* Would anybody hire a graduate for
her/his "mastery" of Tagalog? (I dont call it "Filipino" because its really
is Tagalog.) as English-Tagalog translator maybe, or a Tabloid reporter, but
not much else. Should we master Tagalog so that in the real world, in the
world of jobs, entrepreneurship and business we are going to use English as
the medium of communication? But that's my dilemma. But maybe there is no
conflict here. but how do we translate that to policy? Maybe we should learn
the basic dialects/language from the first and third grade then shift to
English later until college. so we will have Visayans or Tagalogs, or
Ilocanos using their languages first in early elementary before they
eventually shift to English as medium of instruction. Sounds good to me. But
Tagalog should never be imposed. But hey, isn't English also part of our
Filipino heritage as a nation? I'm just sharing my random thoughts here,
actually.

*ADDIE SUZARA (Finance expert, technopreneur and computer geek):* I was born
in a large family where Tagalog, Bicolano, English and some Spanish were
spoken. I then went to schools where English was the medium of instruction
but where Pilipino was taught as a subject and I learned grammar and read
literature. I also took up formal Spanish in college.
I can now speak and write English well, speak Tagalog well but write with a
little difficulty only due to lack of practice, speak Bicolano with a little
difficulty because of lack of practice, haven't tried writing in Bicolano,
and can't do much oral and written Spanish. I think it worked out OK for me.

*DAVE:* Addie, You are a very good case study. The fact is you enrolled in
schools using English as medium of instruction and where Pilipino is taught
as a subject and it worked well for you. Pilipino only as one of the
subjects, and not as medium of instruction! I like that. And I guess no one
could question Addie's nationalism, identity and patriotism.

*ADDIE:* Thank you Dave but let me hasten to add that, until I went to
Kindergarten at age 6, Tagalog with a Bicolano flavor was my primary spoken
language.

*TESSIE:* [We are] missing the point entirely when we insist that to find
jobs we should know English. We miss to consider the fundamental role of
language in establishing identity and ethnicity…

*DAVE:* I was raising a practical, real world perspective. The job market,
the world of entrepreneurship and business, are using English and in that
world mastery of this language, plus skills in the math and science are what
really matters. I know because I have lots of friends who are nationalistic
but who actually enroll their kids in exclusive schools that are teaching
purely English. Most of those who actually argue for Tagalog, ehe Filipino,
are doing their finest points in English. And they use English extensively
at home.

*TESSIE:* For people from educated families, lower middle class and above,
there's no problem using English as a medium of instruction. These are
people who have access to other media, books, newspapers, adult conversation
etc. Being a nationalist Filipino or not has nothing to do with it. No one
becomes less Filipino just because he learns English or another dialect
first and not Filipino as a first language.

However we are speaking of 60 percent of our population who live below the
poverty line who should have a good grasp of a national language before a
second language is forced on them. If you go to Malaysia and Indonesia, what
welcomes you at the airport are all Malay greetings and Malay music ..It is
a language that binds the nation. Contrast that with what greets us and our
kababayan at our airport!

*ADDIE:* While I do come from the 40% of the population who live above the
poverty line, I would not say that those from the 60% did not have all the
opportunities available to me in terms of learning other languages.Let us
not forget that most of us grew up in at least a two language environment -
the local dialect and Tagalog. I spoke Tagalog and Bicolano because my
mother was from Taagalog soeaking Labo while my father came from Bicolano
speaking Daet. Both these towns are in Camarines Norte. I agree with Dave
that the gut issue is when to use English as a medium of instruction. I say
"a" instead of "the" because I think we can have more than one medium of
instruction. I think our kids wherever they may be can easily absorb a third
language. The areas of improvement are in the school system.

*DAVE:* Again, the question here is translating this to policy. If you are
in the Visayas, you certainly will feel that Tagalog or Pilipino is being
"forced" on you. If "promotion" of the national language is the
Tagalogization of the entire country, that will surely fail and it has
failed since Marcos.

The promotion of the local Bahasa language was done under authoritarian
regime. It was imposed on them. Example: During the days of Suharto, the
Chinese were barred from learning the Chinese language/dialects; they were
not allowed to open up Chinese schools in the name of national unity. It's
only after the fall of Suharto that the Chinese started putting up Chinese
schools. This is what my Indonesian friend told me. Well, it seemed to have
worked well for them, given their historical circumstances.

Marcos actually tried the same approach through the imposition of Tagalog,
and we called it Filipino, and that policy failed. Maybe Marcos was not
ruthless enough? Not really. I think one reason is that English is also part
of our national heritage. And it's no brainer why we cling to that language
despite the Marcos policy: it has become a ticket out of poverty for many
Filipinos. It has become a ticket for many to escape through the claws of
the monopolists and the vampire elite of this country. That 15 billion
dollars that buttress the economy, that prevents the economy from total
disintegration, that has become a safety valve against a Marxist socialist
revolution, is the offshoot of our capability to speak and use the English
language.
http://davidllorito.blogspot.com/2008/06/pilipino-versus-english-continuing.html

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