This entry is the sixth in a series of articles in the first annual Seven-Day Salita Blogathon. For more information, please see this entry.
For those of you who already know me, you probably have an idea of what my ideal language policy for the Philippines is. But most likely, you only know part of it. In this entry, I outline a draft copy of my ideal language policy for the Philippines.
As outlined by the 1987 Constitution, both Tagalog (under the name Filipino) and English are official languages. Tagalog/Filipino is the national language. And the regional languages are "auxiliary" languages in their respective home regions. And Spanish & Arabic are to be promoted on an optional basis.
Here is what I propose.
Official Language at the National Level
I am not sure what the best answer is here. For an ethnolinguistically diverse country as the Philippines, I am totally against the idea of one sole official and national language. Sure, there are arguments that we should have a unifying language. But why can't more than one language help with this process of unification? To me, being limited to one language is, in a word, unfair. It's disprectful. And I think it has fostered resentment among non-Tagalogs.
Some have proposed that there be no official language at all. The United States is this way - but English is the de-facto official language. It's an idea that' sworth thinking about, but so far I have not been too fond of it. For one, I think it will inevitably lead to the de-facto officialization of one sole language - and that is Tagalog.
I am leaning towards systems in other countries where there are more than two official languages. Switzerland is one, with 4 (German, French, Italian, and Romantsch). But, India is another with 22 official languages.
There are over 160 languages in the Philippines, but clearly all of them cannot be the official languages.
So maybe the 13 major languages? They each have at least 1 million speakers and all of them represent at least 90% of the country. It is more inclusive than just 1 language that natively represents about a quarter of the country.
Regionally & Provincially
I think this one is simple - whatever major language is spoken in the respective regions and provinces. Places like Romblon would have Romblomanon, Asi, and Onhan. Cagayan would be Ilokano, Ibanag, and Gaddang. Batanes would be Ivatan and Itbayat, and so on.
Schools
As it stands, only Tagalog & English are taught in schools and those are the languages in which textbooks are available. In theory, the regional languages are taught from an early age and then Tagalog & English are used as the media of instruction.
This horrible pratice must come to an end.
Research has shown that students learn better in their native languages. Makes sense, doesn't it? I am taking a class on Statistics now. It is rather challenging. I speak Spanish quite well. However, I'd be at a disadvantage if I learned about statistics in Spanish. I'd much prefer English to ensure that I understand everything. Similarly, why force a Bikolano child to learn about math in Tagalog & English - languages that are not his own? It'd be much more better in the long run to learn in his own language.
The medium of instruction should be - wherever possible - the native language. Think about it, learning about physics in Kapampangan. There are the nay-sayers who say that it cannot be done. But you know what? It's possible. If the Indonesians, Thais, and Japanese can do it - then so can we.
One of the arguments against this was that there are no native scientific vocabulary. Well, I have news for you - neither does English. Most of its scientific vocabulary is from Latin and Greek. Tagalog, Kapampangan, and whatever else can do the same.
I illustrated this points months ago in a discussion forum where I took a sentence from my physics textbook to explain the concept of acceleration with a falling object:
"Isang bagay na nahuhulog ay bumibilis nang 9.8 m/s bawa't segundo kung
kakaunting-kaunti lamang ang resistensya ng hangin. "
(A falling object gains speed at a rate of 9.8 m/s per second if there is very little wind resistence.)
Now, that wasn't hard.
So, am I advocating the removal of English in the school curriculum. Of course not! I see a lot of value in English, and its loss would be detrimental to Filipinos.
If anything, English should be treated as what it really is to most Filipinos - a foreign language. English shouldn't be used to teach math and sciences.
But when should English be taught? As early as possible. English should be taught to children - a vital time to be learning foreign languages.
On the subject of foreign languages, two foreign languages should be taught. They fall into two categories.
A Philippine language - Get the three major Philippine languages - Tagalog, Cebuano, and Ilokano. Tagalogs would have the choice of learning Ilokano or Cebuano. Visayans would have to learn either Ilokano or Tagalog. And Ilokanos would have to learn, you guessed it, Cebuano or Tagalog. I don't believe in forcing someone to learn a language. HOWEVER, I believe that we should force the learning of a language that one's countrymen speaks just as we force children to learn math and history. The choice of the language is up to them.
A non-Philippine language - English is the obvious choice. However, it would be a choice among other non-Philippine languages. I also propose Spanish. Perhaps Chinese and Japanese.
Now, there are limits. It's typical that someone will complain that "Oh, we can't translate documents and books in all 160 languages."
I know that.
Let's try one step at a time. Tagalog is already done. We'll ease into Cebuano .. then Ilokano ...
It doesn't have to happen overnight.
One argument I encountered - and it's pretty silly, ludicrous even - it came from a guy named Antonio (comments of this type here). He claimed that my proposals have a selfish reason. By preserving the languages and calling for their use in all areas of societies (the Catalans call it "normalization"), we linguists are out to get a profit by translating and making money off of making books and dictionaries about these languages. Yes, Antonio, I am learning to become a linguist so I can get filthy rich.
Another argument I hear is "but the Philippines has so many other problems! This is the last you should be thinking about!"
That may be the case, and I understand that. And what can I say? The topic is about language policy and not about poverty and overpopulation. My "thing" is languages. And thus, languages I will discuss. If I want to discuss poverty and the other problems in the Philippines, then I'll have another blog for that where I'd advocate the use of contraceptives and the like. I just don't believe in a pathetic and irrelevant cop-out. Yes, language policy is the furthest on the mind of Filipinos - but perhaps there will be a time in the future.
So yes, these are my proposals. Albeit in a very rough form. It's bound to change as time goes on and as I come into contact with new information. I encourage you to comment constructively.
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48 comments:
What would you think of an artificial language composed entirely of elements from the 15 most widely spoken languages. Would a language like that, in your view, be suitable as a national language for the Philippines?
widely spoken Philippine* language, sorry.
Sure, why not? It's been something I've been thinking about making one for a while now. But the problem is - will people accept it? There is also the inevitable problem of the language being too "Luzon centric" or "too Central Philippine" centric. I'm open to this idea.
--Chris
I suppose it could become a bit "Central Philippine" considering the majority of people in the Philippines, if I'm not mistaken, speak a Central Philippine language. But it's definitely possible to take things from the less widely spoken languages and make it an integral part of an artificial language (pronouns, for example). The problem though, like you said, would be acceptance and disagreement over the composition of the language. It'd be a fun project though.
It is fun indeed. People who do this on the internet call them conlangs, or for auxilary languages, auxlangs. One of them is Slovio, based on Slavic languages.
Anyway, I toyed around with this in 2003, and came up with the following sentences for a friend to guess. Can you figure them out?
1. Magakan ya ng isda sa balay ni Viktor.
2. Nagasulat kuno ila ki ate Maria da.
3. Wala kitang pera!
--Chris
1. Magakan ya ng isda sa balay ni Viktor.
He ate fish at Viktor's house (I'm not sure of the tense here though)
2. Nagasulat kuno ila ki ate Maria da.
They wrote to ate Maria (I don't recognize a few words here).
3. Wala kitang pera.
This one is simple, "We have no money." =)
I'll say, though, that I know only a little about the Visayan languages and my Tagalog isn't anything great either.
Answers ... with the language of origin for each word.
1. Magakan ya ng isda sa balay ni Viktor.
Correct translation: "He will eat fish at Viktor's house."
MAGA- : a prefix found in Hiligaynon and Marinduque Tagalog
YA : From Kapampangan and Rinconada Bikol - equivalent of "SIYA" in Tagalog. Take a look at Pangasinan nouns, they have siak, sika, sikato, etc. all start with SI- .. but in Tagalog, we have only AKO, IKAW, but then SIYA and SILA instead of IYA and ILA..
BALAY : From many Philippine languages. Tagalog seems to be only BAHAY. Ivatan has VAHAY.
And the rest are pretty much self explanatory.
2. Nagasulat kuno ila ki ate Maria da.
Correct translation: They are reportedly writing to their Ate Maria.
NAGA- : Again, from Hiligaynon, Marinduque Tagalog, but also some dialects of Cebuano.
KUNO : Equivalent of Tagalog "DAW" (reportedly, supposedly, they said). Visayan languages usually have KUNO .. as do some Northern Philippine languages like Ilokano.
ILA : "They" ... A form used in Kapampangan. Kind of like YA but without the SI in front o fit.
KI : From Bikol KI. Tagalog variant of KAY. We seem to pronounce it KE, anyway.
DA : "Their" from Ilokano, Pangasinan, Kapampangan, and other Northern Languages. Equivalent to Tagalgo NILA.
3. Wala kitang pera.
You got this right. :-D I think TAYO should be replaced with KITA.
Now, darn it .. you have made me want to finish this language. :-) Except for these three sentences, the language exists in my head.
So ... Introduce yourself .. what's your name, and where are you from? What brings you here? Ang dami kong tanong, 'no.
--Chris
An introduction? I guess I can do that! I'm a Filipino named Mike who was born and raised in California. I have an interest in language (though I don't really have any talent like you do) and took 4 years of Latin in High School, which I just graduated from in June. I love studying languages (but, as I said earlier, I'm not necessarily good at acquiring them), especially Philippine languages and one day hope to be able to comprehend/speak a good number of 'em. The other Austronesian languages are interesting too. Is that a good enough introduction?
Eek, I could've sworn I wrote this in but I guess not. I will be taking an introductory course to linguistics at the local college here once the semester start. Sorry for cluttering your blog.
Yes, that intro will do. Thanks. And I don't mind if you're cluttering my blog. It needs all the clutter it can get. heh.
Hello Christopher Sundita,
Regarding your proposal where Cebuanos are to choose between Tagalog and Ilocano (and Ilocanos are to choose between Tagalog and Cebuano), I'm afraid nobody is going to choose the non-Tagalog language.
Besides, if the Cebuano chooses to learn Ilocano and the Ilocano chooses to learn Cebuano, how will they talk to the Tagalogs?
Hi Chris,
I agree a lot with what you say. I would probably make it so the first few years, English and another dialect are taught. That way a basic foundation is in place. It can be made optional during high school, and if a Cebuano needs to speak Tagalog a lot more, it should be no issue for him to learn it.
I'm Cebuano, I never spoke Tagalog well, (failed constantly in Filipino classes!) and migrated out of the Philippines after Elementary school. Met a few tagalog friends, and learned it in a few months (sure not native fluency, but enough to carry a conversation well). I can't see any reason why a Tagalog person can't learn Cebuano either.
As for Erico pangan's question:
Besides, if the Cebuano chooses to learn Ilocano and the Ilocano chooses to learn Cebuano, how will they talk to the Tagalogs?
I don't see any issue. People always find a way to talk to each other. I'm sure, they can speak English, or alternatively maybe the Tagalog would have learned Cebuano. Not everyone needs or even wants to speak Tagalog.
Hello, Anonymous.
So let's say the Tagalog learned how to speak Ilocano, he can now use Ilocano to talk to the Ilocano-speaking Cebuano, who chose not to learn Tagalog.
How convenient.
Now, what will happen if the Hiligaynons and the Kapampangans realize that they too, like the Cebuanos and the Ilocanos, deserve a share of the pie?
It's gonna be fun.
Oh, I forgot, all Filipinos will be speaking perfect English by then so that wouldn't be a problem.
As if.
Enrico,
And what language are we exactly using right now to debate here?
We do not seem to have that problem even though I do not speak Tagalog fluently and assuming you do not speak Cebuano.
With the current dominance of Tagalog as national language, do you really think this problem has been solved? Philippines is a diverse country, pushing tagalog down on everyone's throat is not the way to fix it. You seem to think that Hiligaynons and Kampampangan need to talk to each other on a daily basis. If they do, one of them needs to start learning a new language, or yes use English.
Yes, it's gonna be fun, because now the Tagalogs will actually have to learn a new dialect, rather than keeping to their mentality that Tagalog is the only language in the Philppines and everyone has to conform. Seriously, has Tagalog really solved anything? Everyone is already learning English, you seem to think everyone will speak perfect Tagalog if we studied it. None of the non-tagalog speakers I know have higher fluency in Tagalog than English.
So yeah, as if.
Anonymous, how come our Bisayan katulong never talks to us in English?
You do not seem to understand Enrico. The point is, if you are bisaya living in Manila, you should be speaking Tagalog. On the other hand, if you are Tagalog living in Cebu, you should be speaking Cebuano. All other cases, use whatever you can to communicate.
Is that concept difficult to understand? Not everyone needs to speak Tagalog. I certainly don't, and most of the Cebuanos I know, don't either.
Since Filipino is already a de facto national linga franca (more so than English if considering more than the middle and upper classes), keep Filipino as an already-functional national language but additionally promote provincial languages as official regional languages in their respective regions, as the case of castellano as national language of Spain and co-official Catalan and Valenciano in the respective Països Catalans, Galego in Galicia, Euskara in the Basque country. That means promoting them heavily in media, politics, education alongside, or even above, Filipino.
Matsing: I agree completely with you. We need a better language policy than we have right now, where all the other *dialects* are being downsized.
A policy where, when we start speaking Filipino/Tagalog to a tagalog person, they immediately smirk at you because you can't speak it at native fluency We need a policy that embraces diversity.
And yes, keep Filipino as a language, it is functional.
Actually Matsing, I misread you. I want a language policy that has more than 2 official languages. I don't want to just have regional official languages.
I think we need to recognize our diversity as a country. It is the only way where we can get unity.
'Dialects' ang maling tawag nila kasi nagsimula sa English, cos native words 'wika', 'salita', 'hambal', 'sinultihan' could mean language OR dialect. (basically mean 'speech', so the language/dialect distinction is lost or secondary).
<< I want a language policy that has more than 2 official languages. I don't want to just have regional official languages. >>
Well, that's like saying you want to run when you cannot even yet walk. The fact is, it would be great progress if the government even conceded the right of non-Tagalog languages to have official status in the provinces.
Yes, it is slightly more optimistic, and recognizing Regional Languages as official would be a great step in that direction. But that is my *ideal* policy.
<<'Dialects' ang maling tawag nila kasi nagsimula sa English, cos native words 'wika', 'salita', 'hambal', 'sinultihan' could mean language OR dialect. (basically mean 'speech', so the language/dialect distinction is lost or secondary).>>
I used the term dialect with emphasis because that is how the Philippine government seem to view our *languages*. I, of course, do not agree with them, and used it sarcastically. A dialect is a variation of a language, which Cebuano is not of Tagalog.
<< I used the term dialect with emphasis because that is how the Philippine government seem to view our *languages*. >>
I don't doubt there are individual members of the govt who are using the term dialect wrongly, but what about official policy? Well, the KWF refers to "Filipino and other Philippine languages" http://www.komfil.gov.ph/functions.html so I think you should get your facts clear before pointing your finger at the govt so fast. As I said, there is a reason for the misnomer amongst the general population and it's not all to do with so-called govt propaganda.
Matsing: Look we can get as pedantic as you want, dialect/language, etc... we are even digressing quite far from the "My ideal language policy". There are a number of people out there who do not even agree with komfil, and I don't want start that same debate here.
I think the point is we both agree, that Filipino or practically Tagalog being enforced on all Filipinos is not nationalistic, it is downgrading a lot of our other languages out there. My ideal policy of course is to have the main languages considered official. It is funny, that even English is considered official, yet Cebuano isn't. Ditto with Spanish, granted practically no one else speaks it. Still, most of our constitution is built on Spanish as well as our past.
You call me being pedantic? I am not the one who's got a chip on my shoulder from other people's ignorance in calling non-tagalog languages 'dialects'.
Spanish ceased its official status in 1987. Goes to show change is possible.
<<'Dialects' ang maling tawag nila kasi nagsimula sa English, cos native words 'wika', 'salita', 'hambal', 'sinultihan' could mean language OR dialect. (basically mean 'speech', so the language/dialect distinction is lost or secondary).>>
I'm not sure if this is pedantic or what. I called it dialect sarcastically because there seem to be a perception that all other languages are dialects in the Philippines. Chris has blogged about it elsewhere here: http://www.geocities.com/csundita/filipiniana/rplanguages.html
Yes, the unfortunate removal of Spanish as an official language by the Cory administration. It's sad that Filipinos cannot even read significant history in their original form such as those works by Dr. José Rizal. And I hope that our language policy does change for the better in the near future before things are too late.
<< I'm not sure if this is pedantic or what. I called it dialect sarcastically because there seem to be a perception that all other languages are dialects in the Philippines.>>
First, my reply (which you just quoted) is already a (partial) explanation of this perception.
Second, I'm not going to spend my time getting into your name-calling games. So to save you trouble, yeah, I'm a pedant. So sue me.
Sigh. If you look at how this discussion went, I never really called you pedantic. You were the one who picked on my usage of dialect, giving me some definition of why it's wrong! I simply replied, and you retaliated. I said, we can get as pedantic as you want. Basically meaning something to the effect of: "we can define it as the book says if you want". But then then that's not the point of the discussion, the point was language policy and where we agreed on.
I agreed with you on recognizing other languages, *but* not only as *regional* languages but *official* languages. You were the one who went to start insulting me with "Well, that's like saying you want to run when you cannot even yet walk." Very constructive!
And you would see I never insulted you and presented you only with constructive answers. So if you can't keep an intelligent discussion, I'm also through with this.
And yes, the government is partly to blame with people's perception of other filipino languages called as dialects. Even if official policy buried somewhere in komfil's website says they are languages. People call them dialects because they are non-official languages. A lot of filipinos think that a non-official language is a dialect. That a language requires a body to define official grammars and spelling, etc...
Hello, Anonymous. I think it would be a good idea if you wrote an article describing your ideal language policy.
I certainly would like to read it.
Hi Enrico,
Thanks for this opportunity, but a lot of my thoughts are really quite similar to Chris's posting. Basically a policy that embraces diversity rather than just have one Filipino/Tagalog official national language.
I guess, what you really want from me is rationale behind it, and fair enough. So let me see if I can at least explain to you where I stand.
While there is nothing wrong with Tagalog as a language, and a lot of Filipinos already know it or are familiar at least with it, I do have an issue about it being pushed down everyone's throat as a National language. To start with, the majority of non-tagalog speakers will never be able to speak it with native fluency, plus our native language is never developed properly. We are already at a disadvantaged compared to Tagalogs right from the start. Be honest to yourself, how many times have you looked at a Bisaya, and thought he was dumb because he speaks Tagalog with a funny accent? There is a great perception that we are from the boondocks because we do not speak Tagalog fluently. Put two filipinos together who are of same intelligence, tagalog and non-tagalog on the media, who can motivate the people better, the one who speaks the National language fluently, or the other with the fluency of a 10 year old kid? To us non-tagalog speakers, Tagalog is just as foreign as Spanish. And to tell you the truth, I would have rather learned Spanish than Tagalog. Only because it is yet another global language with 400 million speakers. Not because I don't think Tagalog has any use, but in a globalized world, this is important to me. Everybody has their own goals and preferences. Whatever helps you achieve that goal is what you should do. And to be even honest with you, I would have rather we kept Spanish as a national language, because it levels the playing field for all Filipinos.
This is why non-tagalog speakers are resentful of Tagalog as a Filipino language. This is why I say it is not nationalistic. To be nationalistic, we have to acknowledge that we are a country with a very diverse set of languages. I know a lot of Tagalogs cannot see this. I do not blame them, I mean if the government has selected Tagalog as the national language, then Tagalog is obviously better. I do not suggest eliminating it completely, only that it should be treated as a secondary language. I know there are lots of people out there who would want to learn Tagalog. And beside learning another language can only be good for your brain, right? But only if it is not already overworked.
I can go on and on but I only really have one point and besides I don't really have a lot of time here at work. My point is, we need a policy where the main Filipino languages stand side-by-side with English and Tagalog.
Thank you, Anonymous. What you feel about Tagalog is exactly how I feel about English.
I know I speak better English than most Filipinos but still, I can never speak English with native fluency. I am always at a disadvantage when compared to an American or maybe a Filipino who has lived in America. So sad.
I see you are proposing a language policy similar to Canada except while Canada has only two (English and French), we have at least five (Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilokano, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan etc).
Good luck. :)
Exactly! The sad fact is, you are probably smarter than a lot of these native English speakers, yet you probably cannot express yourself nearly well enough as a native speaker. Vocally that is.
I know, it's a long shot, but the more people start recognizing the fact that there are dozens of languages in the Philippines the better. I think to get official status, the language has to have a certain amount of speakers first, e.g. 5 million speakers.
Spanish would be a bad idea. even though it's phonetic. It would only foster IMSCF Syndrome among those Spanish-surnamed Filipinos.
There may be some historical basis as to why the UP clique chose Tagalog as the National Language. Because it's a natural lingua franca 330 years before the 1935 Constitution mandated a national language.
The PHILIPPINE ISLANDS 1493-1898 Volume XVIII — 1617- 1620 page 101
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/15564/15564.txt
http://www.hti.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=philamer;cc=philamer;q1=Man\ila%20is%20considered;rgn=full%20text;idno=AFK2830.0001.018;didno=AFK2830.0001.0\18;view=image;seq=00000105
It must be noted that there are in this island many races and kinds of
people, such as the Camarines, Camintanes, Tagalos, Panpangas,
Sanbales, Ilocos, Cagayanes, and many others. They differ noticeably
not only in language and in physical characteristics, but also in
disposition and customs. But the Tagala dialect, that of Manila and
the surrounding country, is a common language. It is spoken and
understood everywhere, not only by the above-mentioned natives of the
island of Luzon, but by the natives of all the islands. From this fact
those who know something concerning the past of these people infer
that the other nations of the archipelago have long carried on trade
and commerce with Manila. Because the island is the center of an
infinite number of nations and barbarous people, some heathens and
some Mahometans; and because of its nearness to and trade with the
rich and powerful kingdoms of Japon and China, as well as for other
reasons that might be mentioned, Manila is considered of greater
importance in this governmental district than can here be indicated.
what i really hate about that country is the fact that there is such a "unity." I hate the fact that i'm categorized as "filipino" when I am a pure blooded, proud Visayan. I hate how the rest of those fucks give me a bad name because i'm in that fuckin group, "filipino."
I am Visayan, Visayans are the true descendants of Lapu Lapu not Illocanos. You Illocanos need to get your history strait and your facts right because Lapu Lapu is NOT your ancestor.
Don't put us in a category as you are. If we were living back in the tribal days, you would be our enemy. Fuck "filipinos", I am a Visayan, Illocanos are Illocanos and so fort.
Visayans don't brag like you assholes do. Brag about being Illocanos and give yourselves a bad name and for all you people out there who aren't "filipino" the country has more than one group of people and we are different. Bitch ass Illocanos, Don't include the rest of us who are actually trying to give the pathetic country a good name.
Visayans have to learn Illocano language? pshh give me a break..
Or Tagalog, if they so choose.
And why are you mad at Ilokanos?
To the anonymous Visayan poster who wrote that other Filipinos shouldn't claim Lapulapu as their ancestor. Does your family go back to Mactan island? My family goes back to Argao for centuries and I still have no right to claim Lapulapu as an ancestor, esp. since we know that we're not descended from him nor would I encourage other Cebuanos to claim him as an ancestor just b/c they come from Cebu.
I believe he said Illocanos and not Filipinos.
I have to agree a bit of what he said though. I've seen an a few Illocanos claim they are decendants of Lapu Lapu even going as far as getting a tattoo symbolizing the man but at the same time not knowing a single word in Visayan. trust me, they are friends of mine.
I'm Illocano, and this guy makes sense to me. so i apologize for a the actions of a few but not all of us are like that.
perhaps this a topic best suited for discussion.
peace people.
Ever since I finished school I didn’t think I would want to have anymore lessons ever again, however recently I have wanted to learn a language, maybe become fluent in one and basic in a couple of others. I did a bit of research and found there were loads of different packages available I went with one that claims you teach yourself Spanish and I was impressed it was a computer program that helped with pronunciation and speaks back to you so you can hear it too.
Sa kahit kaninuman, magalit na kayo ngayon dahil nagta-Tagalog ako ngayon pero itong wikang ito ang PAMBANSANG LINGUA FRANCA, ginagamit ng LAHAT, ng 98% ng mga Pilipino ayon sa pinakahuling mga survey at di gaya ng sinasabi ninyo na sinasalita lang ng 1/4 ng buong populasyong Pilipino. Nalulungkot ako sa nagawa ng kolonyal na nakaraan natin sa 'ting mga Pilipino! Nagtagumpay silang tunay na PAGWATA-WATAKIN tayong lahat! Hindi naman ipinilit ang Tagalog sa lahat ng Pilipino; nagkataon kasing Manila ang kapital ng Pilipinas. Siguro, kung hindi nalipat ang Spanish settlement galing, una sa Cebu, pagkatapos sa Panay bago, sa wakas ay nalipat na nang permanente sa Maynila- kung nanatiling sa Cebu 'yon at Cebu yung nanatiling kapital at "seat of government" eh malamang, Sebwano ang linggua franca/common/national/unifying language natin ngayon! Kaya ba't galit na galit kayo sa Tagalog language at sa mga Tagalog? Ang nanay ko, Ilongga, pero hindi siya katulad ninyo. Huwag tayong maging REGIONALISTIC! Oo nga, iba-iba tayo pero magkakapamilya tayong lahat, iisang bansa at lahi lang ang pinagmulan natin- Malayo-Polynesian. -Pilipino tayong lahat kahit na Bisaya o Tagalog o Ilokano atbp. tayo. -Pilipino08-
unity my ass, visayans deserve their part of the island chain just as much as all the other ethnic groups there. break the goddam philippines, a sad excuse for a country. the only ones who kept talking about unity are those tagalogs WHO have no culture and wants to use unity as a way of GETTING culture from the other ethnic groups. Visayans and the all the others deserve to BE proud of their own roots as their own ethnic group and not to be a part of PINOYS or what you wanna call it. We need a change in that country. Visayans and the rest of the ethinic groups have their own distinct culture. Branding everyone as pinoys perverts each culture. I'm tired of these pinoys giving me a bad name just because i am considered pinoy. For a country that doesn't emphasize the importance of culture and looks at the western culture as it's basis you all are dumb asses and if you consider going back to our past roots un-civilized then you are a part of the problem. GET YOUR HISTORIES RIGHT PEOPLE. WE ARE NOT PINOYS. WE ARE OUR OWN DISTINCT ETHNIC GROUPS.
To the guy who was talking about Lapu-Lapu not being the ancestor of illocanos, I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU. I know a lot of people, idiots to say the least, Lapu-Lapu is Visayan History not anyone elses.
i say, keep your own language and i'll keep mine.
Why not just make the regional languages official in their respective regions, and have everyone choose between Spanish or English? Or have everyone speal both these 2 AND their native tongue.
After all, no ethnic group - be it the Tagalogs, Cebuanos, Maranaos, Kapampangans, Ivatans - can claim to be the sole representaive of Filipino identity. We're diverse, thus we can never be as "one nation, one culture, and one language."
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"I am Visayan, Visayans are the true descendants of Lapu Lapu not Illocanos. You Illocanos need to get your history strait and your facts right because Lapu Lapu is NOT your ancestor.
Don't put us in a category as you are. If we were living back in the tribal days, you would be our enemy. Fuck "filipinos", I am a Visayan, Illocanos are Illocanos and so fort."
Let me tell you something, you stupid hater! I am an Ilocano and I have never ever claimed to be a descendant of Lapu-Lapu nor has any Ilocano claimed to be. What the other poster claimed that there are Ilocanos who do so is false. Huh! Where has he been? And whether you like it or not, history has made us Filipinos. And thus a historical figure, be he an Ilocano, Cebuano, Tagalog, etc., is not exclusively to be praised and claimed a single ethnic group but by all of the Filipinos.
"Visayans don't brag like you assholes do. Brag about being Illocanos and give yourselves a bad name and for all you people out there who aren't "filipino" the country has more than one group of people and we are different. Bitch ass Illocanos, Don't include the rest of us who are actually trying to give the pathetic country a good name."
And Ilocanos never brag. Ilocanos are proud of themselves but they never brag. They never brag that they did this and that, when they have done many things for this country in many fields. And do not even give the argument that Marcos was an Ilocano and he gave this country ills that we still feel today. He may have done bad things, but also made good things and Visayas and every part of this country are still benefiting from his intensive infrastructure program when he was president. And the guilt of a single man cannot be construed as the guilt of an entire people. duh! You're a shame to the Visayans. Idiot!
The Latin American people believed and feel that we Filipinos form past of that vast family, the children of Spain. Thus, although Spain ceased to govern those countries many years ago and although another nation is sovereign in the Philippines, those Latin-American peoples feel themselves as brothers to the people of the Philippines. It is the Spanish language that still binds us to those peoples, and the Spanish language will bind us to those peoples eternally if we have the wisdom and patriotism of preserving it.
—Manuel Quezon—
¡Filipinas, hable castellano otra vez!
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