Texting as a Political Tool

Mong Palatino

Texting first became popular in the Philippines during the late 1990s when
Joseph Estrada was the president of the country. Filipino cell phone users,
maximizing the free texting service offered by phone companies, began sending
text jokes about the incompetence of Estrada. This proved effective in undermining
the credibility of the former president.

Text jokes were subsequently used as a creative form of protest against other
notorious public figures, especially politicians. People continued to use texting to
express their disenchantment with the policies of the government.

Seven years ago, the historic uprising in Edsa Street which came to be known
as People Power II eventually led to the downfall of Estrada. For the first time in
Philippine history, texting was recognized as a vital tool for political mobilization.
Four days of gatherings, both spontaneous and organized, brought hundreds of
thousands of people to Edsa, facilitated by texting.

A few months after People Power II, phone companies announced a plan to
charge a fee for every text message sent by cell phone users. This angered Filipino
texters. The consumer group Txtpower called for a one-day text boycott in protest
to the decision of phone companies. The boycott campaign forced the mobile phone
firms to delay their plan.

On August 2004, the government wanted to impose a tax on texting to

increase revenues. This could have meant an additional cost for mobile phone
subscribers. The group Txtpower enjoined Filipino texters to bombard the Speaker
of the House of Representatives with a text message opposing the proposed tax on
texting. After a few days, Congress was forced to abandon the proposed measure.

Recently, a government minister revived this proposal to solve the country's

fiscal deficit. A texters' revolt was launched to defeat the new tax measure. Like in
2004, the government backtracked on its plan after consumers sent angry text
messages to government officials. In June 2005, President Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo was accused of rigging the presidential election results. An audio recording
which allegedly contained conversations between the president and an election
officer was released to the public. Txtpower transformed the recording into a cell
phone ringtone and uploaded it on the Internet. Hundreds of thousands of cell
phone owners and Internet users downloaded the ringtone and made it one of the
most popular hits in the Philippines that year. For the first time, a cell phone
ringtone was recognized as a protest tool.

The threat of a texters' revolt is forcing cell phone companies to lower text
service fees. They have been offering unlimited texting services in response to the
clamor for a more affordable and reasonable texting rate. They have not been
increasing text rates since government regulators are reluctant to approve higher
rates which could enrage the 55 million cell phone subscribers in the Philippines.

Why are cell phones and texting effective and popular tools for social and
political mobilization in the Philippines?

The majority of Filipino mobile phone users are familiar with the texting
service. There are more cell phone users in the Philippines than landline owners.
Texting is convenient to use since it is accessible, less expensive and it can
instantly reach an audience of more than 50 million cell phone subscribers.

Texting is already the standard mode of communication among Filipinos. It is

widely used even in the remote countryside to connect and reconnect with family
and friends. Overseas Filipino workers, now numbering more than 8 million, use
texting to maintain close relationships with their loved ones back home.

Political parties, civil society organizations and other non-state actors are
using cell phones to spread political messages and sometimes even to organize
protest assemblies. Texting facilitates quick dissemination of political activities.
Texting is used to improve coordination among political groups.

Political forces seek to mobilize millions of subscribers through virtual

campaigns which could range from the sending of text messages, downloading of
political ringtones, and forwarding of subversive text quotes. It may be impossible
to gather more than 50 million cell phone users in the streets but it is easy to
persuade ordinary citizens to send political text messages to their friends.

The great number of anonymous prepaid cell phone users is emboldening

citizens to express their true political sentiments. A majority of cell phone owners in
the country are availing themselves of the prepaid service since this is cheaper.
This also allows political groups and disgruntled citizens, fearful of government
reprisals, to send daring political messages through texting, without the risk of
revealing their identities.

Another important factor which contributes to the popularity of texting is the

relative absence of censorship governing Internet usage and mobile
communications in the Philippines. The cheap mobile technology and the freedom
enjoyed by Filipino cell phone users enhance the opportunities to use the phones for
political activities.

A drawback to the immense popularity of texting as a viable political tool is

the persistent recommendation of the government for a mandatory registration of
all mobile phone users. Consumer groups believe the proposed registration may
hamper the freedom of expression and the right to organize in the country. So far,
this proposal is not yet implemented but it remains one of the anti-crime and anti-
terror solutions of the government.
 Fortunately, the Philippine government is impotent in countering the
organizing possibilities of new media tools. Politicians have threatened to arrest
malicious texters who send subversive jokes but political text messaging remains
acerbic and effective in the country. No texter has been jailed for insulting the
president.

Filipino activist groups insist that cell phones are tools to be maximized to
deliver messages to the people. Political mobilization will be successful if it is
pursued through painstaking grassroots-building and person-to-person interaction.
People who use the technology, not the technology alone, are the most important
factor in developing political campaigns

YEHEY! In-house Production, 22 January 2008

 FILIPINO AND TAGALOG, NOT SO SIMPLE

Ricardo Ma. Nolasco, Ph.D.

Chair, Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino
August 24, 2007

To most Filipinos, only the national language is a language, and all the rest are
dialects. Not quite so.

Linguists have a way of distinguishing a language from a dialect. This is the mutual
intelligibility criterion. When speakers cannot understand one another, they speak
different languages. When they can, they speak the same language, or dialects of
the same language. It doesn’t matter if the speech variety has only five speakers or
a million; or if it has a writing system or not; or if it is spoken in only one barangay
or in an entire province. All these do not count in defining a language.

On this basis, Ilocano, Cebuano, Kapampangan, Pangasinan, Hiligaynon, Bikol,

Butuanon and Meranao to name a few, are not dialects but languages. Variations of
a language, like Dumaguete-Cebuano, Davao-Cebuano and Iligan-Cebuano, are
called dialects.

The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino or KWF has recorded around 170 languages in the
country. The dialect count could reach 500. We are the 10th most linguistically
diverse country in the world. Papua New Guinea is number one.

Are “Tagalog,” “Pilipino” and “Filipino” different languages? No, they are mutually
intelligible varieties, and therefore belong to one language. According to the KWF,
Filipino is that speech variety spoken in Metro Manila and other urban centers
where different ethnic groups meet. It is the most prestigious variety of Tagalog and
the language used by the national mass media.

The other yardstick for distinguishing a language from a dialect is: different
grammar, different language. “Filipino”, “Pilipino” and “Tagalog” share identical
grammar. They have the same determiners (ang, ng and sa); the same personal
pronouns (siya, ako, niya, kanila, etc); the same demonstrative pronouns (ito, iyan,
doon, etc); the same linkers (na, at and ay); the same particles (na and pa); and the
same verbal affixes -in, -an, i- and -um-. In short, same grammar, same language.

Certain academicians equate Tagalog with “purist” usage and Filipino with “non-
purist” usage. To them, “pulong” and “gurô” are Tagalog words, while “miting” and
“titser” are Filipino words. Word borrowing however is not a reliable basis for
language differentiation. Zamboangueño (Chavacano) borrowed heavily from
Spanish but evolved a different grammar from Spanish. It cannot be understood by
Spanish speakers.
“Purism” has its uses too. I am not talking here of the salumpuwit and the
salipawpaw type of purism. Salumpuwit is short for pangsalo ng puwit (“ass
catcher”) and salipawpaw came from sasakyang lumilipad sa himpapawid (“a
vehicle that flies”). These terms were invented in the 1960’s to purify the national
language. Because silya and eroplano were already being used, this kind of purism
didn’t make any sense and was repudiated by our people.

I subscribe to “purism” of the gasang type. Gasang is Cebuano and Tagalog for
“coral” and kagasangan is for “coral reef.” If we persist in using the English term for
the concept, or be content with the phonetic respelling (koral rif), the local term will
die. One must not be afraid of teaching our audience new words when they are
exact and appropriate for the occasion.

But whether it is simple Tagalog or deep Tagalog, pure Tagalog or halu-halo

Tagalog, it is still Tagalog. They all belong to one language.

Why then did we have to change the name from Tagalog, to Pilipino then to Filipino?

The reasons are largely socio-linguistic. From being a language confined to native
Tagalogs and their provinces, Tagalog has grown into being the common language
of an entire people. It has become nationwide. Non-native speakers of Tagalog
outnumber native speakers. Based on the 2000 census, 9 out of 10 Filipinos now
speak and understand it with varying degrees of mastery. Even as far south as
Tawi-Tawi, there are speakers of the national language. Inter-ethnic communication
through the national language has become a reality. Thanks to TV, radio, movies,
comics, out-migration and the educational system.

However, most of our people speak a first language other than Tagalog. Cebuano as
a first language has 18.5 million speakers, next is Ilocano with 7.7 million, followed
by Hiligaynon with 6.9 million and Bicol with 4.5 million. Tagalog as a mother
tongue has 22 million speakers.

Non-native speakers of Tagalog tend to be influenced by the pronunciation and

grammatical habits of their first language. For instance, the word manî (with the
glottal stop at the end) would invariably be pronounced as mani (without the glottal
stop) by a Tagalog-speaking Ilocano. As a result, regional variants of Tagalog have
sprouted all over the country and are gaining acceptance and legitimacy.

English is also a second language to most Filipinos. It is however more prestigious

than Filipino. According to the 2006 Social Weather Station survey, 7 out of 10
Filipinos understand and read in English. Almost one half (48%) said that they could
write in English and a third (32%) replied that they could speak in English.

This explains why Filipinos often code-switch and code-mix in English. The product
is widely known as “Taglish.” To some, it is when you begin a sentence in either
English or Tagalog, tapos nag-switch ka sa kabilang wika in the same sentence.
“Taglish” is also when you use Tagalog grammar but English vocabulary. English
borrowings in Filipino have become so extensive that more than 1,500 English
words appeared at least three times in a Filipino corpus of one million words. This is
according to a 1998 study which also suggested that the most frequent English
words, like okey, mommy, pulis, daddy and mister, were already part of Filipino.

In 1987, our country’s leaders finally gave recognition to this idiom used by Filipinos
as lingua franca. They named it “Filipino” with an “F” to signal that it will be a
language based not only on Tagalog but also on other Philippine and foreign
languages. They also wanted to dissociate this language from “Pilipino” which they
believed to be “puristic”.

However, users of the national tongue, oblivious of and unimpressed by the

debates, are not confused. Twenty years after their common language was
christened Filipino, they still refer to it as Tagalog.

In many fora, I have also been asked what to call our language, our nationality, and
our country. I always start by saying that it depends on the language you’re using.
In English, our language is “Filipino”, our nationality is “Filipino” and our country is
the “Philippines”. In the national language called Filipino, our language is called
“Filipino”, our nationality “Pilipino” and our country “Pilipinas.” I won’t advise using
“Filipinas” for our country and “Filipino” for our nationality because they are
contrary to official usage.

II. HOW TO VALUE OUR LANGUAGES

The national language called Filipino is a convenient tool for inter-ethnic

communication. One can go to any place in the country and communicate with
fellow Filipinos through this language. Of the 76 million Filipinos, 65 million speak
and understand Filipino, according to the 2000 census.

People however ignore the fact that most Filipinos speak Filipino or Tagalog as a
second tongue. Only 22 million speak it as their first language. Twice this figure or
around 43 million speak it as their second language.

Non-native speakers of Tagalog may not be as proficient in it compared to their first

language. This explains the reluctance of some groups in embracing Filipino. They
only accept it in sufferance. They would rather use English, because it is everyone’s
second language. Besides, it is more prestigious than Filipino.

Historically, Tagalog has occupied a privileged position in this country compared to

the other languages, except English. In 1937, Tagalog was declared the “basis” of
the national language. In effect, it became THE national language. In 1959, the
name was changed to Pilipino. In 1987 it was renamed Filipino with an “F”. It was
also designated as one of the official languages and medium of instruction. The
regional languages were named auxiliary languages in government and in
education.

Having a national language does not mean giving up one’s first or second
languages. It also doesn’t mean devaluing the other Philippine languages.

How is a language devalued?

One way is by calling it a “dialect”. By referring to the non-Tagalog varieties as
mere “dialects,” their status as legitimate modes of expression is downgraded. The
necessity for learning them is reduced. Because Tagalog is the national language,
literary works written in it are passed off as national literature. The best Tagalog
writers enjoy the status as national writers. On the other hand, non-Tagalog
literature is invariably referred to as “regional” or “vernacular” literature, and their
best writers, as “regional” or “vernacular” writers.

Look at it from the side of the non-Tagalogs. The Ilocano or Cebuano staying in
Manila takes great pains in learning the metropolitan language. In contrast, the
Tagalog visitor makes no effort to learn the local idiom.

Another way of devaluing a language is by telling everybody that by speaking the

national tongue, you automatically become a patriot. This means that those who
can’t speak it, or who choose to speak in English, aren’t.

Our people seem to think so too. In a 1996 Social Weather Station survey, 62% of
Filipinos agreed that it was very important for a true Filipino to be able to speak
Pilipino. Half of the Visayans (55%) agreed with this statement. And so did 67% of
urban Mindanaons.

If that is the case, then our greatest patriots must be the Japanese who invaded our
country in the 1940s. During that time, they made Tagalog the primary medium of
instruction, together with Nihonggo. The use of English was completely banned. The
absurdity of the argument is so obvious that it need not detain us here.

We also devalue our languages by adhering to the slogan of “one nation, one
language.” This means one centralized nation-state with one standard language for
official functions and education. Many people in this country are pushing for English
to be that standard language, invoking globalization and modernization as reasons.
Others demand that it should be Filipino because it is the national language and we
are Filipinos.

None of these views is supported by reality in the Philippines and in the world. In
the Philippines, everyone speaks three or four languages, except the Tagalogs who
know their first language and English. In the world, knowing two languages or more
is the norm, while knowing one language is the exception. There are only 200
nation-states but more than 6,000 languages. This means that many nations have
citizens speaking several languages. The European Union has twenty three (23)
official languages. Canada has French and English as official languages. Even the
United States has not found it necessary to proclaim a national language.

The enabling law on language is Republic Act No. 7104. This law established the
Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino and mandated it to “undertake, coordinate and
promote researches for the development, propagation and preservation of Filipino
and other Philippine languages.” The policy is to develop and enrich the national
language on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages. In other words,
the local languages and other languages are equally important and not subservient
to the national language. The idea is to strengthen them in order to expand the
knowledge and linguistic base of our national language.

The best way to put down any language is by preventing it from being used in the
educational system. Children bring their home and community’s language to school
only to have the bilingual system extinguish them. The favorite formula is to impose
fines or punish students for speaking their home language. The message to our
children is that their language and their culture are not important and therefore
cannot be reproduced. Only the nationally prescribed languages and the knowledge
encoded in them matter.

The usual reasons against using the home languages in school are that it allegedly
promotes disunity and that it is impractical because we have so many “dialects”.
Disunity results when there is no respect for each other’s cultures and languages.
We can learn a thing or two from Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea is the most
linguistically diverse country in the world with more than 800 languages. But this
did not deter that nation from developing literacy materials in a third of its
languages. If they can do it, why can’t we?

Let’s move closer to home. Lubuagan is a district of Kalinga where the local
language is the medium of instruction for primary grade subjects even for science
and mathematics. Tagalog and English are taught as subjects. The Department of
Education, the Summer Institute of Linguistics and the Lubuagan community are
partners in this project. The 2006 reading test in the division of Kalinga showed
remarkable results. Lubuagan pupils registered the highest scores in English
(76.5%) and Filipino (76.4%), compared to pupils of the bilingual districts.

How do we value our languages?

A first and crucial step is to change our attitude towards them. Let us look at our
local languages not as liabilities but as resources which we can harness to educate
society and improve lives.

We need a national language much as we need our local languages and the
languages of wider communication (i.e. English, Spanish). Through these languages,
we gain a local identity, a national identity and a global identity. They help us to
think globally, and act locally.

The indigenous knowledge systems stored in the local languages also complement
our knowledge of Western science and technology. This integrated knowledge
ensures that any development resulting from it will be sustainable and friendly to
the ecosystem.

Our children have the inherent right to be educated in their home language. The
home languages and local cultures have been found to be enabling factors to
learning in the content areas. They also serve as two way bridges to learning other
languages more effectively, as shown in Lubuagan. A learner gains self-respect
when his experiences and the language in which they are expressed are
acknowledged. The child can then builds from this knowledge, add new concepts
and learn more remote and abstract ideas.
At the same time, our people should be given the opportunity to learn the national
language and the other languages of wider communication like English. They should
be allowed to explore into the exciting opportunities that the national and global
economy has to offer. Linguistic diversity does not mean that indigenous cultures
must remain unchanged.

By valuing our first languages, we learn to value our second languages, namely
Filipino and English. It is the first step for our people to regain control of their
environment and their inalienable right to exist.

Alzheimer’s: A Love Story

Irene Zutell

When I met the woman who would eventually become my mother-in-law, she
didn't smile or say hello or talk to me. She wouldn't even look at me.

I awkwardly stuck out my hand. "Hello Magdalen." Minutes earlier, Larry had
warned me not to call her Mrs. Bleidner. "She thinks she's the kid and you're
the adult," he explained.

Magdalen's eyes narrowed. She growled at me. Then she skipped down the
hall with Harriet, her best friend.

Is there a woman on the planet who doesn't get nervous the first time she
meets her fiance's mom? But not only was I meeting my future in- law, I was
being introduced to Alzheimer's.
This was fifteen years ago. And sure, I'd heard of Alzheimer's. But I didn't
know anyone with it. And I really didn't understand it. It was hard to grasp
that the woman right in front of me wasn't really there. When she scowled or
stuck her tongue out at me, I took it personally. "She doesn't like me," I'd
say.

Larry had told me stories about his mom. She was born in Ireland, but sailed
to New York as a young child. She settled in Queens, where she married
Walter and had two sons--Larry and Jimmy. Magdalen was a stay at home
mom with a vivid imagination. She could transform clothes pins into armies
and mixing bowls and plates into helmets and shields.

"Even when she was little, she loved to be around babies," Larry would say.
"Everyone joked that she would one day steal a baby. All she ever wanted to
be was a mother."

But she did have other dreams. One night, Larry pulled out a huge cardboard
box filled with pages of poems his mother had written. There were also
rejection letters from publishers. I wish Larry had known about it--because,
as he'd done with me dozens of times, he would have told his mom not to
listen to the critics; to keep trying.

But she did listen. I doubt she ever understood how beautiful her poems
were since they never had an audience. My favorite was called The Tenant.
As she did when entertaining her sons with kitchen utensils, Magdalen
turned a puddle into something more than a splash of dingy water.

The poet had disappeared a long time ago. The Magdalen I knew gamboled
around the nursing home, laughing and squealing with Harriet. She cheated
at pool by rolling the balls into the holes when she thought no one was
watching. I can still picture her holding the cue stick over her head, grinning
in triumph.

And this woman, who had never smoked or drank or used the Lord's name in
vain, started cursing like a sailor on shore leave.

In my most recent novel, Pieces of Happily Ever After, I created Mary, a

fictionalized version of Magdalen. Many reviewers commented that she was
the most colorful character in the book. Perhaps that was because I stole so
much from my mother in law.

For instance, like the character in the novel, Magdalen was kicked out of her
nursing home for cursing. It seems incomprehensible that a nursing home
could be so insensitive to one of the side effects of Alzheimer's. But "Hilda",
the owner, told us that Magdalen's language was "unacceptable " and
"inappropriate." One day when we arrived to visit, a hearse was in front of
the home. Hilda actually blamed the death on Magdalen. "Harold was very
upset by your mother's language. Then later, he had a heart attack and
died."

Magdalen? A murderer?

We found a great board and care run by Filipinos who were loving and
caring. I'm convinced, Trinity, one of the caregivers, never slept. There were
four other residents, all in the final stages of Alzheimer's. One was a former
backup singer for Tommy Dorsey who had once sucked face with Frank
Sinatra, according to her son. Another was a rocket scientist. Another, a
movie director. They stared blankly at Dr. Phil or Oprah or Spongebob. They
wore holes in the carpet as they wandered back and forth, searching for
some unknown destination.

Alzheimer's is toughest on loved ones. Larry watched as his mother forgot to

bathe, to dress, to brush her teeth, to use the toilet. She forgot her friends,
her relatives and her deceased husband. One of the worst days on this most
painful hejira was when she squinted at Larry and said, 'who are you?'

"It's Larry, your son." He sounded like a man who'd been punched in the
soul.

At first Larry had tried to jumpstart his mom's brain with facts and memories,
but he learned that the most he could do for her was to be with her. He'd
hold her hand and talk to her the way he would one day speak to his
children. He'd comb her knotted hair and shave her little grey whiskers. He
changed her diapers. He patiently spooned puree into her mouth when she'd
all but forgotten how to swallow. He sang Danny Boy, her favorite song.

When you fall in love with someone, you are sort of acting out a toned done
version of The Bachelor. You romance each other over dinners at fancy
restaurants, drinks at hip bars and spend weekends at five-star resorts. You
are a more polished, refined, interesting version of yourself, as if waiting for
that final rose ceremony so you can finally burp and breathe out and be who
you really are.

But Alzheimer's strips away the pretenses. Alzheimer's showed me how truly
blessed I was to have Larry in my life. I understood he'd be an amazing
father and husband. I knew with certainty that he'd always be there for me,
no matter what (unless I really screwed up). The care and love he showed his
mother made me fall in love with him even more.

When we took our newborn, Olivia, to her grandmother's for the first time,
Larry was like any proud dad, excited to show off his baby. Maybe it was
sleep depravation, but he seemed to forget about Alzheimer's. I reminded
him that she didn't notice us anymore, so she probably wouldn't even notice
Olivia. "You don't understand," he said. "My mom loves babies." Poor Larry, I
thought, he wants to believe.

Larry carefully placed Olivia in her arms. And suddenly it was like a switch
had been turned on. She smiled and cooed. Her love for babies cut through
the Alzheimer's fog. She was the little girl who was born to be a mommy.

"Baby," she said. "Baby."

It was the last word I heard her say. Soon she forgot how to speak. Then she
forgot how to eat. And, lastly how to swallow. When she died, The Tenant
finally had its audience. Larry read it at her burial.

THE TENANT

By Magdalen Bleidner

The sky came to live on the sidewalk

For one happy, heedless hour.
And rented a common puddle
Left from a passing shower.

The sky wore her sky-blue bluest

Dragged miles of a nimbus train.
Such elegance never before converged
On a simple splash of rain.

She brought some sundry jewels

A billion flecks of gold.
And flashing moisture-diamonds
Too dazzling to behold.

But the idle breath of the west wind

Came hovering close to spy
On this strange celestial creature
So far from home and sky.

The wind kept swirling and sighing

Near this puzzling patch of light
Till the rippling sky-blue puddle
Vanished out of sight

Now the sidewalk's drab and dusty

And the west wind's heard to grieve:
"Oh where is that lovely something?
And why did it have to leave?"

Fearing English in the Philippines

By Isabel Pefianco Martin
Philippine Daily Inquirer

Sometime ago, at a teacher training session I conducted, I made the mistake

of suggesting that Math and Science teachers consider code switching (using
English and Tagalog) as a strategy for making lessons less difficult for their
students. I did not know that the school had just implemented an English-
only policy in the classrooms, corridors and faculty lounges. No wonder
teachers and students rushed to the quadrangle during break time!

This practice of enforcing English-only zones in schools is symptomatic of the

lack of awareness among school heads about the nature of languages, as
well as the basics of learning a language. One important reality that many
overlook is that students will not learn a language if they fear it.

In the Philippines, the language most feared is English. I see this in my

students who joke that their noses bleed after they talk in English; in my
friends who claim that they speak English only when they’re drunk; and in
my doctor who suddenly switches to Tagalog after I tell him that I teach
English. We see this fear of English in classes where students feel stupid
because they mispronounced a word; in contact centers where applicants
take accent neutralization sessions; and in English review centers that
continue to mushroom throughout Metro Manila. Fear of English is also
manifested in predictions that the country is approaching an English-
deprived future; in House bills that seek to make English the sole medium of
instruction in schools; and in courses or training programs that focus only on
developing grammatical accuracy.

Many research studies prove that learning a language becomes more

effective when emotional barriers are eliminated. Linguist and educational
researcher Stephen Krashen refers to these emotional barriers as “affective
filters.” The formula for success in learning a language is painfully simple:
the lower the feelings of fear (low affective filter), the higher the chances of
learning.

One famous Filipino who exemplifies the lack of fear of English is boxer
Manny Pacquiao. I have observed with delight how Pacquiao, in his post-fight
interviews, confidently and effortlessly churn out so-called “carabao” English
to share his joy over his victories. Pacquiao does not fear Barrera or Morales.
Why on earth should he fear English?

Just recently, 17-year-old Janina San Miguel was crowned Bb. Pilipinas World
2008 despite her “funny” English during the pageant’s Q&A. Janina’s
experience proves that personal successes need not be dependent on
proficiency in English. Why fear English then?

From a linguistic standpoint, all languages are equally perfect and complete.
This means that there really is no reason to fear English. Nothing in the
sound system or writing system of English makes it superior to other
languages. Conversely, nothing in the sound system or writing system of the
national and local languages makes these languages inferior to English. It is
the Filipinos’ attitude toward English that elevates the language to a prestige
form. It is this same attitude that makes it difficult for most Filipinos to learn
it.

Another reason English should not be feared is that the language is not
owned by one country or one race, as many Filipinos believe. The profile of
English today reveals that ownership of the language is already shared
across continents and cultures. In international English Language Teaching
circles, academics do not talk about English in singular terms anymore.
There is widespread recognition that several Englishes exist—American
English, British English

, Australian English, but also, Malaysian English, Singapore English, and yes,
Philippine English. In addition, “non-native” speakers of English are
beginning to outnumber “native” speakers in the world today.

To be sure, English occupies an important place in Philippine society. But, it

is only one language among the 150 that exist today. It is believed that most
Filipinos speak at least three different languages. For these Filipinos, English
might not even be one of the languages they speak. So when English is first
introduced to them, it should be introduced slowly and gently, with much
respect for their first languages.

Teaching and learning English in the Philippines may be a difficult task, but it
need not be a frightening experience. So much has already been spent on
testing the proficiency of teachers and then training these teachers to
become more proficient in the language. But simply focusing on testing and
training, without recognizing the multilingual context of teaching and
learning English in the Philippines, only reinforces fear of the language.

This year, the International Year of Languages, all language education

stakeholders are invited to reflect on their policies and practices so that
Filipinos will finally regard their languages, including English, not with fear,
but with confidence and pride.
 MY SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES
Jaeyoun Kim

Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines. Do you

really think the corruption is the problem of the Philippines? I do not think so. I
strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines.

Let me first talk about my country, Korea. It might help you understand my
point. After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the
world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed after
the Korean War, and we had no natural resources.

Koreans used to talk about the Philippines, for Filipinos were very rich in Asia.
We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos. Many Koreans
died of famine. My father & brother also died because of famine. Korean
government was very corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but
Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for the
common good with their heart burning with patriotism.

Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and
country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism. 40 years ago,
President Park took over the government to reform Korea.

He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get
a loan
and attract a foreign investment because the economic situation of South Korea
was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President Park sent many mine
workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a
factory. They had to go through horrible experience.

In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of

Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they
saw the President Park. They asked to him, "President, when can we be well off?"

That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with
them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for
Korea, and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent
money to Korea. So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea. He
always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart.

Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help
developing country because they wanted their country to be well off. Though they
received very small salary, they did their best for Korea. They always hoped that
their children would live in well off country. My parents always brought me to the
places where poor and physically handicapped people live.

They wanted me to understand their life and help them. I also worked for
Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I learned from Catholic
Church was that we have to love our neighborhood. And, I have loved my
neighborhood. Have you cried for the Philippines? I have cried for my country
several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people. I
have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the
prisoners who do not have any love for their country. They go to mass and work for
Church. They pray everyday.

However, they do not love the Philippines. I talked to two prisoners at the
maximum-security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the
Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would
start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines.

Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our
wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were distributed
their profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed
and saved money for the future and their children.

When I was in Korea, I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest.
However, when I came to the Philippines, I completely lost my faith. I was very
confused when I saw ! many unbelievable situations in the Philippines.

Street kids always make me sad, and I see them everyday. The Philippines is
the only Catholic country in Asia, but there are too many poor people here.

People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed.

My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They
told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were
young. They are so sorry that there are so many beggars and street kids. When we
went to Pagsanjan, I forced my parents to take a boat because it would fun.
However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they would not
take the boat again because they were sympathized the boatmen, for the boatmen
were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed
it.

But, my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them. My mother who has
been working for the Catholic Church since I was very young told me that if we just
go to mass without changing ourselves, we are not Catholic indeed. Faith should
come with action. She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for
them because all of us are same and have received a great love from God.
 I want Filipinos to love their neighborhood and country as much as they love
God so that the Philippines will be well off.

I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We

cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must
start in everybody, in a small scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen if we
open up to love. Let's put away our prejudices and look at our worries with our new
eyes.

I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love, because it

makes changes possible. Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts
and relationships. It changes the world. Please love your neighborhood and country.

Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do to Him. In the

Philippines, there is God for people who are abused and abandoned. There is God
who is crying for love. If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines.
Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country. You already
know that God also will be very happy if you love others. That's all I really want to
ask you Filipinos."

- GMANews.TV