Ilocano language, culture, literature

ILOCANO ONLINE--Our New Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:55:00 +0000

Since you've reached this far, we would like to invite you and redirect you to our other blog,

ILOCANO ONLINE (ilocanoonline.wordpress.com),

where we'll continue blogging on essentially the same themes AND THEN SOME.

THANKS.

BANNAWAG INTERNET EDITION: Ur-urayenmi

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:56:00 +0000

Manipud idi nangrugiac nga agbasbasa iti Bannawag idi 1950s agingga ita, dackel ti nagbaliwan ti lubong, nangruna iti panangimaldit iti sinurat. Ayanna a pagdacsan no naimaldit laeng iti papel, cas iti agdama a Bannawag, dagitoy ti mabalin a mapasamac: (a) maibelleng wenno usaren a pagbungon ti ania man (agraman daing a monamon) dagiti daan a Bannawag, (b) idulin ti daan a Bannawag ngem gapu ta caadduanna ti awan temperature-controlled a pagidulinan, ag-deteriorate ti calidad ti newsprint a nacaimalditan ti Bannawag agingga iti tumayengteng ti maris dagiti pinanid a dimon mabalin a basaen ti naimaldit, wenno (c) ibelleng wenno usaren a pagbungon dagiti immuna nga indulin tapno adda pangidulinan cadagiti barbaro nga issues.

Uray no cayat ti agbasa cadagiti nacadulin a daan nga issues ti Bannawag, no dadduma umapay ni kinasadut a mapan agucag, nangruna no awan pamalpalatpatan no ania nga issue ti nacaipablaacan ti cayat a basaen.

Cadagiti agduyos nga agadal nga agsurat iti Ilocano wenno siasino man nga agtarigagay nga agusisa iti sasaaden ti Literatura Ilocana, bigbigec a dackel a problema ti kinakisang wenno kinaawan dagiti public/private libraries a sidadaan a mangidiaya iti Bannawag, nangruna dagiti daan nga issues na. Gapu iti caawan ti gundaway a mangidilig iti calidad dagiti nagcacauna wenno nabiit laeng a napalabas a sinurat ken ti calidad dagiti agdama a sinurat, casano a maicalicagum ti panagdur-as ti literatura tayo? Ania a panacderan ti mangisingasing a napimpintas dagiti putar dagiti agdama a mannurat tayo mayarig cadagiti putar iti naglabas?

Maliclican dagitoy paricut a nadacamat iti ngato no maipablaac ti Bannawag iti Internet. Mabalin nga adda kinamuyot ti maysa a mannurat a mangipagarup a ti putarna ti capintasan no awan met pangidasiganna iti daytoy. Ket no maysacan a cuto-cuto iti Internet, ammomon no apay. Agsipud ta adu ti masaracan iti Internet a pangyarigan, saan laeng nga iti bucod a pagsasao. Ken adu ti masursuro iti Internet a macatulong iti panagputar ken mangitudo cadagiti saluadan nga estilo ti panagputar.

No yasping ti Literatura Ilocana cadagiti nadumaduma a literatura ti lubong, cas iti Japon, Ingles wenno Castila, adda cadi maipadis a nagrang-ayan ti bucod tay a literatura? Adda ngatan mannurat iti Ilocano nga addaan iti naurnong a sinurat a napintas ti calidad na a mabalin nga ibilang iti sangalubongan a salisal para iti Nobel Prize for Literature? Awaten ngata dagiti mannurat ken agcalicagum nga agbalin a mannurat iti Ilocano daytoy a carit tapno ipennecda ti panangadal cadagiti nadumaduma a ramit ken estilo ti panagsurat tapno umasenso ti calidad ti isuratda?

Bannawag: Internet Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:26:00 +0000

Segun ti naawatmi nga email a naggapu ken ni Cles B. Rambaud, Associate Editor ti Bannawag, idi Enero 30, 2009, dandanin mairugi a maipablaac ti Internet Edition ti Bannawag.

"Dandanin agmata daydi arapaapmo nga adda koma met website ti Bannawag," insurat ni Editor Rambaud. "Uray dagiti kakabsat a magasin ti Bannawag, addanto metten websiteda. Inaprobaranen ti MB Management daytoy a kiddaw."

Nadacamat mi dayta nga "arapaap" iti blog entry ditoy a napauluan iti "Bannawag Website--An Open Letter" a naipaskin idi Feb. 22, 2007 nga isu ti nangisingasingan mi a mangipasdec ti Bannawag iti bucodna a website (Internet Edition).

Iti panangipagarupmi, dackel nga addang daytoy a decision ti Manila Bulletin management, akincucua iti Bannawag, a mangpapigsa iti tignay a panangparang-ay ken ti panangtaginayon iti pagsasao nga Ilocano, agraman ti cannawidan ken Literatura Ilocana.

Padaanantay ngarud ti Internet Edition ti Bannawag!

Romeo & Juliet, aka, Marcos-Nalundasan Story

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:27:00 +0000

Nagsuratac ken ni Dr. Aurelio S. Agcaoili idi Enero 9, 2009:

Dear Ariel,

Hope you're having a better year than the last one.

Last time, you mentioned you were writing a play in Ilocano. Well, a couple of weeks ago, I watched the Oscar-winning 1961 musical, "West Side Story", that remake of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", and a bulb [although not original] popped out. You with your talent and creativity could easily do an Ilocano adaptation using the following (copied it from Wikipedia):

Julio Nalundasan (died September 20, 1935) was a Filipino politician who was one of the political rivals of Ilocos Norte politician Mariano Marcos, father of Ferdinand Marcos (who later became the tenth President of the Philippines).

Nalundasan was slain in 1935. Indicted for the murder was Mariano Marcos' son, Ferdinand Marcos who was later convicted. However, the conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court of the Philippines, through a decision penned by Associate Justice Jose P. Laurel (who, like Marcos, also became President).

With Marcos' influence still a veritable force in Ilocandia, I believe you might initially be able to make a Broadway-type production which you can stage in the major cities of Ilocandia, like Batac, Laoag, Vigan, etc. If the play gets a creditable reception, there's no telling if a film adaptation might be a commercial option later on, thanks to you and your courage and imagination to write it. (Oh, it doesn't have to be written in Ilocano. You could use Filipino for a much broader national audience to try to secure a semblance of commercial success.)

How about it, Ariel? IF THERE'S ANYONE WHO CAN DO IT, IT'S YOU!

Manong Joe

Daytoy ti sungbat ni Ariel:

Manong Joe,

Diak ammo no apay a mabasbasayo ti panunotko. Daytoy a Nalundasan episodetayo, nakabaybayagen daytoy a mangar-araria kaniak.

Kinaagpaysuan, saggabassit-usit a dakdakamatek daytoy kadagiti immunan nga insursuratko. But the way you sketched it is giving me a broader picture of how to proceed and make it a full-blown project of our tragedy as a people. Ngem trahedia tapno makaduktal (koma!) iti maysa a paripirip nga agtunda iti pannakaisalakan.

Ala, patiray-okak man ti sirmatak--ken ti imahinasionko--ta sapay ta mabalinak nga ibaklay daytoy a karityo kaniak. No madaerak daytoy a karit, ibagakto koma sika ti naggapuan dayta nga enerhia.

Sapay ta nakalablabon ti 2009-yo.

Ariel

Nga isu met ti pinasarunuac iti:

Patgec nga Ariel,

Cunac la ngaruden a dackel ti potential na diay "West Side Story" cabayatan ti panangbuyac iti TV. So much so that while I was watching, the first thing that came to my mind was YOU and the significant literary parallelisms with the Marcos-Nalundasan episode. As the plot for a play, it allows itself to a myriad of literary licenses.

No, there's no need for you to ascribe the energy to write/create the play to me. Like the guy seen picking up and throwing back to the ocean a few starfish left behind by the low tide, I shall be satisfied coming out of the movie theater after watching a screening of your soon-to-be classic movie production, mumbling to myself with a chuckle and an irrepressible smile: "I made a difference for that one."

Manong Joe

An Aesthetics of Language

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:10:00 +0000

Daytoy man ti linaon ti email co ken ni Dr. Aurelio S. Agcaoili, Ilocano a mannurat ken professor iti University of Hawaii at Manoa:

"Dear Ariel,

I suspect you've come across Cornelia Hoogland's "An Aesthetics of Language" before. It's probably a tough argument to make in the battle for the use of the mother tongue as medium of instruction, at least from K-6. However, when those who dare venture into the literary realm and have to understand that "literary language... makes metaphor its center of gravity", I do tend to believe that the one writing in his/her mother tongue has a decided advantage of making those metaphors come alive amid the backdrop of his/her cultural underpinnings. I, for one, happen to think that Ilocano, when used carefully, creatively and artfully by our best, native Ilocano writers, is in fact a beautiful, capable and aesthetically elegant language. I dare say that an Ilocano literary piece can absolutely be written by the best to sound even better than the best in Tagalog/Filipino, but then you can accuse me of being biased..."

Suroten daytoy a link iti "An Aesthetics of Language" a sinurat ni Cornelia Hoogland ti University of Western Ontario.

Creative Writing and Freedom of the Press

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 21:38:00 +0000

I'm publishing here Zeny B. Padre's blog as a guest blog:

In Tawid News Magasin, Vol. VII No. 43, December 24-30, 2007, Dr. Aurelio Solver Agcaoili, professor at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa, wrote a piece entitled "When Poets Become Fascists, or Why Ilokano Creative Writing Needs Redeeming" followed by "When the Craft of Creative Writing Is No Longer Creative Because It Is Corrupt and Corrupting" in the corrected version that came out on January 9, 2008.

Basically, the two pieces are a rant against creative writers, more specifically those masquerading as Ilocano poets whom he claims have become fascists/monsters WITHOUT citing any specific examples.

"As I write this piece," says Agcaoili in the first article, "there is this pang of rage in my heart." For me, that's a cue to not take Dr. Agcaoili seriously for as he seethes with anger, he could not even point a single finger to what he is raving at. As in the heat of passion, things could be said and done that, under more sober circumstances, could have been avoided. If one doesn't have the conviction to call a spade a spade, how can you take him seriously?

"Ilokano writing as an incestuous, anomalous, compadrazgo relationship continues," complains Agcaoili. And he rues: "Where has that decent and dignified--decent because dignified--Ilokano writing gone?" Reminds one of that oft-repeated refrain in Diff'rent Strokes: "Whatchoo talking about, Willis?"

In the second article, Agcaoili puts a new spin on the goals of creative writing: "...we write...to resist the lies and ruses of this present world... we write... to insist that we have the right to live in dignity and self-respect... we write... to become agents of change--to change following the fundamental principles of justice and fairness." What happened to the fundamental definition of "creative"?

Even as Ralph Gregory Elliot, former president of the Connecticut Bar Association, identifies certain limits to freedom of the press in "Limits of Freedom of the Press" [http://www.ctbar.org/filemanager/download/22/], this freedom is well enshrined in the Bill of Rights--Article III, Section 4--of the 1987 Philippine Constitution: "No law shall be passed abridging the freedom of speech, of expression, or of the press..."

Just as we recognize Dr. Agcaoili's right to rant against Ilocano creative writers and the creative Iloco writing craft itself as part of his freedom of the press, we would like to remind him of his responsibility to exercise restraint by avoiding irresponsible accusations sans specifics, concrete proofs, and that pang of rage in his heart.

Nagasat a Baro Tawen Tayo Amin!

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 18:41:00 +0000

Nabara a Cabblaaw

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:11:00 +0000

Naragsac A Pascua Ken Nagasat A Baro Tawen Tay Amin!

Merry Christmas And A Happy New Year To Us All!

Agdinnungpar a Lubong Dagiti Ilocano

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 20:16:00 +0000

Cabayatan ti panagur-urayco idiay Honolulu International Airport iti connecting flight a mapan diay Hilo iti daytay napan a lawas, nangegco a casla naggurruod ti bucsitco ket ti hotdog stand iti sango ti nagtugawac iti waiting area ti immuna a nacaawis caniac. Agsipud ta cas met la Filipino ti agtatacder iti licud ti hotdog stand, impasacsacco iti Ilocano ti panagkiddawco iti dua a hotdog. Napaisem a dagus ket dinamagna no sadino iti cailocuan ti naggapuac.

Nagsubliac iti tugawco ket inyawatco ti maysa a hotdog iti caduac a nagviaje. Adda pangubingen a nagtugaw iti licud ti nagtugawanmi. Apaman a nangegna nga Ilocano ti pagsasaomi, bimmaw-ing ti adda iti licudmi ket inyam-ammona ti bagina a taga-Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte, sana dinamag no sadino met diay cailocuan ti naggappuanmi.

Uray pay diay taga-Ilocos Norte a babai a cashier iti store a cadenna ti open cafeteria ken sanguen ti information/ticket booths iti uneg ti USS Arizona Memorial National Park diay Honolulu ket awan man impadlaw na a "reglamento ti management" a mangikeddeng a makisarita isuna cadagiti customers iti English--ta nalabit awan sa met casta a reglamentoda. Ilocano ti naragsac a pannakisaona cadacami bayat ti panangasicasuna cadagiti ginatangmi.

Dimo mapagriruan a maragsacan dagitoy pada nga Ilocano a macangeg iti padada nga Ilocano nga agsao iti Ilocano. Cas man la mayarig iti nalagda a panait wenno lubid ti pagsasao nga Ilocano no agdadanon dagiti Ilocano iti Hawai'i—uray sadino a lugar ti Hawai'i ti pagkikitaan/pagdadanonan. Nacaricnaac iti naan-annay a rugso ti panangipalanguadco iti kina-Ilocano. Nangruna ket ammoc nga adda Ilocano language program iti University of Hawai’i (Manoa) ken mangisursuro sadiay ni Dr. Aurelio S. Agcaoili, maysa cadagiti napeclan a mangidurduron iti pagsasao nga Ilocano, saan laeng iti Hawai’i no di ket pay iti Filipinas.

Isu a maldaangannac a macadamag nga in-inut a rumisay dagiti agusar iti Ilocano iti mismo a cailocuan, aglalo ket nabasac ti libro (When Languages Die) ni K. David Harrison, Assistant Professor of Linguistics diay Swarthmore College, bunga ti panagsukisocna iti nadumaduma a suli ti lubong cadagiti pagsasao a pimmusayen wenno dandanin pumusay. Cuna ni Harrison a saan la a ti pagsasao ti mapucaw no pumusay daytoy no di ket ti entero a sursuro, capanunotan, ken cannawidan, nangruna no saan a documentado wenno naimaldit dagitoy.

Segun ti panangisalaysay ni Apo Jimmy Agpalo, Jr., iti blogna a a napauluan iti “Ania, maiparit ti agsao iti Iloco?” [KAMALIG (kamalig.blogspot.com/2007_06_01_archive.html, June 4, 2007)], iti agdama a casasaad ti pagsasao nga Ilocano, ti panangiduron ti govierno iti pagsasao a Filipino ken Ingles cas nailian a pagsasao ket agtulid a papatayennanto dagiti sabsabali a pagsasao cadagiti nadumaduma a region, agraman Ilocano, ti Filipinas.

Tallo dagiti cangrunaan nga ibilang ni Apo Agpalo no apay a nadaras ti panagsacnap ti pagsasao a Filipino a buloy met ti nadaras a panagpasuli ken pannacapadiski ti pagsasao nga Ilocano:

1) Iparit dagiti pagadalan (high school) iti agsao iti Ilocano. Multa: piso ti tunggal balicas (iti agdama a panawen)! Nasken nga English wenno Filipino/Tagalog ti usaren a pagsasao. Cangrunaanna la unay ti English. Ngem iti panagsasarita, mabalin ti Filipino/Tagalog wenno English wenno Taglish.

2) Saanen a nacacasdaaw a no mapanca iti shopping mall cadagiti dadackel a ciudad no Filipino/Tagalog ti pannakisaoda kenca, iti dua a rason: a) saanda nga Ilocano; b) reglamento ti management a cas marketing technique.

3) Dakkel nga ilgat ti migration ti aggapu cadagiti ca-Tagalogan. Umuna, dagiti non-Ilocano-speaking nga empleados dagiti mall ken ti familiada nga awitda ta adda la ngarud dita ti trabajoda. Maicadua, umad-adu nga umad-adu dagiti Muslim traders ken dadduma pay a non-Ilocano-speaking traders cadagiti shopping malls ken dadduma pay a lugar ti negocio. Ket agsasao met dagitoy ti Filipino/Tagalog. Maicatlo, gapu ta adda ti trabajo a masapulan cadagiti shopping malls, adu met iti dumayo a makipagnaed, iti dua a rason: agnegocio ken agtrabajo.

“No damagem no casano a lappedan ti tagalogization,” innayon ni Apo Agpalo, “saanco a masungbatan dayta. Ngamin, addaanac met iti tallo a rason:

“1) diac nasursuro dayta iti escuelaan, ta ti nasursuroc ket no casano ti agsao iti gangganaet a lenguahe (a di siaannugot ti ricnac ken napilitanac laeng tapno maliclicac ti multa a binting tunggal balicas.)

“2) obligadoac met nga agsao iti Tagalog iti pagtagilacuac iti nateng ken frutas, ta amkec met a panawandac ti/dagiti customers ken dida umay gumatang caniac no didac maawatan wenno mabainda a gumatang no dicam agkinnaawatan

“3) daytoy a paricut ket saanco a cabucbucodan a paricut no di ket sapasap. Ngarud, sapasap met laeng coma wenno caadduan ti agtignay, a saan ket a sisiac wenno sumagmamano laeng. Cas individual, cas ama, cas writer, cas comerciante, cas umili, adu ken adu a banag ken immatang ti nasken nga isecsec iti priority.”

Babaen ti panagsukisoc ni K. David Harrison, dagitoy mismo insalaysay ni Apo Jaime Agpalo, Jr., ti mangpapatay iti Ilocano iti Filipinas. Ket dinto nacascasdaaw no ti Hawaii ti sumaruno a cangrunaan nga Ilocandia ti lubong.

Part Filipina, But Who Isn't Nowadays?

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 22:10:00 +0000

Wikipedia has the following entry on Nicole Scherzinger:

"Nicole Elikolani Prescovia Scherzinger (also known as Nicole Kea) (born June 29, 1978), is an American singer, dancer, songwriter and occasional actress best known for her work as the lead vocalist for the Pussycat Dolls.

Scherzinger was born in Hawaii, to a Filipino father and Hawaiian/Russian mother. Her mother, Rosemary, separated from her father and then moved to Louisville, Kentucky with her German American husband Gary Scherzinger..."

Click HERE to read the rest.

That she is part Filipina and the lead singer of an internationally popular group and now about to release her solo album (Oct. 2007), Her Name Is Nicole--now that's something to be proud of.

My favorite is the Pussycat Dolls' great rendition of an old standard, Sway, which was used in the Richard Gere-Jennifer Lopez movie, Shall We Dance. If you're an avid basketball fan, you probably have seen her and her group in those NBA ads. Of course, Don't Cha [this is the uncensored version which includes an adult expression; there's an edited version], is, um, a terrific danceable piece as well.

Enjoy!

Philippine Folk Arts--Colorful, Graceful & Beautiful

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 23:45:00 +0000

I've selected the following from You.Tube--some of the best which makes one feel proud to be a Filipino. Enjoy!

Awis ti Samiweng

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 01:06:00 +0000

Tumempla cay ti pangyanud iti pulotan, sacay' gumuyod iti tugawyo ta dumngeg tayo cadagiti cabucbucodan a cancion a buyogan ti macabang-ar a palayupoy ditoy nanumo nga abongco:

Unity in Diversity, NOT One Language

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 15:50:00 +0000

From Dominique Cimafranca, blogger (village idiot savant) from Davao, Philippines, comes this thought, albeit not altogether new, that drives at the heart of the “nationalist” wistful ethos:

Mindanaoans -- whether from Davao, Cotabato, Zamboanga, Bukidnon, Agusan, or elsewhere -- have some sense of identity of being Mindanaoan. We recognize that we come from our own little towns and cities, and we have our loyalties there. But we also recognize that we are part of a bigger idea, never mind the occasional agreement in direction. That idea is Mindanao.

In contrast, this idea is practically nonexistent among Visayans and Luzonians.

I have never heard anyone from the Visayas say that he was Visayan, except perhaps in relation to the language that he speaks. One is Cebuano, Boholano, Dumagueteño, Ilonggo, or Waray. But not Visayan.

Much less have I heard of people from Luzon refer to themselves as Luzonians. (I was not even sure that such a word was correct.)

And people from Metro Manila? Well, Manileños think that the Philippines is Manila and vice versa. 'Nuff said.

What, may I ask, have my fellow “Luzonians” in general, and my fellow Ilocanos in particular have to say about that? What do the Visayans have to say about that?

What do the “nationalists” and the Philippine government, after decades of trying to unify the country by requiring everybody to learn and speak a national language, namely, Tagalog which became Pilipino and which is now Filipino, to create the semblance of a national identity, have to say about that?

It would seem like a more pragmatic thing to simply allow English--the global language--to flourish as the common denominator language for Filipinos as it is used now in government official communications, as medium of instruction in our schools, and more importantly as the language of domestic and international commerce. After all, Section 7, Article 14 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides that English is one of our official languages (in addition to Filipino and the regional languages).

Decades of grooming Tagalog>Pilipino>Filipino as the "national" language have not brought us any closer to the chimera of a national identity.

Perhaps, in their overweening desire to create a "national identity" at any cost, the so-called "nationalists" have completely ignored the simple truth behind what Dominique Cimafranca writes, "Mindanaoans--whether from Davao, Cotabato, Zamboanga, Bukidnon, Agusan, or elsewhere--have some sense of identity of being Mindanaoan. We recognize that we come from our own little towns and cities, and we have our loyalties there. But we also recognize that we are part of a bigger idea..." They are defined by the regional languages they speak and the regional cultures associated with them--and yet, they have this sense of identity. And that's the way it should be--unity in diversity.

To move away from that diversity in favor of a national language--Filipino--is to stifle the sounds you hear in the following video:

Unity in Diversity

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:27:00 +0000

After reading the keynote address of Dr. Ricardo Ma. Nolasco, head of the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF), delivered at the recently concluded NAKEM Conference held at the Mariano Marcos State University in Batac, Ilocos Norte, May 23, 2007, I realized here is a scholarly thinking on language planning and policy, an organized plan of action consistent with the spirit of Article 14, Sections 6 through 9 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

If Nolasco's initiatives at KWF would see the light of day, they would essentially preempt the concerns of those behind the recent Petition FOR CERTIORARI, PROHIBITION with PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION filed with the Supreme Court on April 27, 2007, re President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Exec. Order No. 210 as implemented by DepEd Order No. 36. After a closer look at the provisions of Executive Order No. 210 and DepEd Order No. 36, I realize they don't specifically exclude the teaching of the regional languages (mother tongue) as subjects and as media of instruction (MOI) in their respective regions in GRADE SCHOOL.

Former President Joseph E. Estrada had had some adventures and misadventures during his tenure; however, the recommendations of his Presidential Commission on Educational Reform (PCER), specifically that part about the use of the regional languages as MOI in their respective regions, albeit only in the first grade, are consistent with Dr. Nolasco's position. PCER stated:

Pushing for vernacular use in the primary grades, at least, in Grade I, seems the practical thing to do. UNESCO's stand in favor of the use of Mother Tongue instruction is worth mentioning. UNESCO Regional Director for Asia Victor Ordoñez (1998) has stated that "it is part of our [UNESCO's] task to protect and celebrate the diversity … between cultures and not homogenize it to the point that we lose our individual identities."

I believe that with the thinning out of the aging population of native regional language speakers supplanted by the younger generation who are taught Filipino and English only, the opportunities to learn the regional tongue at home will consequently decline and as history has proven, there is the potential that when the last native regional language speaker dies, so does the language and the unique culture associated with it. That's why there is a need to expand the use of the regional lingua franca as MOI throughout grade school, or at least from the first grade to third grade, to perpetuate the regional languages.

Here, in its entirety, is KWF Commissioner Ricardo Ma. Nolasco's keynote address:

Isa pong karangalan at pribilehiyo para sa akin at sa Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino na maimbitahan at makapagsalita sa inyong kumperensya. Ang ibabahagi ko sa inyo ngayong umaga ay tungkol sa bisyon, direksyon at mga programa ng KWF para sa susunod na tatlong taon, o hanggang 2010. Ibinabahagi ko ang mga ito sa inyo sa pag-asang yayakapin ninyo ang nasabing mga bisyon, direksyon at programa bilang sarili ninyong bisyon at programa.

Kamakailan lamang ay nagkasundo ang pamunuan ng KWF na baguhin ang aming bisyon. Ang pangarap namin ay: “maging sentro ng kapantasan sa mga wika at literatura ng mga Pilipino.” Umaalinsunod ang pangarap na ito sa aming mandato na paunlarin, palaganapin at panatilihin ang mga wikang ginagamit ng mga Pilipino sa iba’t ibang larangan.

Ang ganitong bisyon at misyon ay pag-amin na bagamat ang KWF ay siyang opisyal na ahensyang pangwika ay malayo pa rin ito sa pagiging tunay na sentro ng kapantasan at kaalaman sa mga wika at panitikan ng mga Pilipino. Ang itinatayo namin ay isang sentro ng impormasyon, dokumentasyon at pananaliksik; na may kuwerpo (corps) ng mga mananaliksik na may mataas na kakayahan sa linggwistika at applied na linggwistika (hal. pagtuturo ng wika) at pagsasaling-wika; isang sentro na katatagpuan at naglalaman ng lahat ng mga pag-aaral at akda tungkol sa mga wika ng Pilipinas; isang sentro na may kamalig ng mga datos sa ibat ibang wika, at sa ibat ibang genre, kasama na ang audio at video recording ng mga pangyayaring komunikatibong may mga anotasyon at komentaryo; isang sentro na lumilikha ng mga orihinal at huwarang mga diksyunaryo, gramatika, ortograpiya, iskolarli na mga babasahin, materyales sa literasiya at reperensya sa pagtuturo sa magkakaibang disiplina; at isang sentro na dalubhasa rin sa teknolohiyang pang-impormasyon at pangkomunikasyon upang magampanan ang gawain ng pagpapaunlad, pagpapalaganap at pagpapanatili ng mga wika sa Pilipinas.

Ang pangarap naming ito ay nagmumula sa aming pagkilala sa kahalagahan ng mga wikang ginagamit ng mga Pilipino—ang wikang pambansa, ang mga wikang panglokal at mga wika na pang-ibayong dagat--- para sa magkakaibang mga layunin: para sa literasiya at edukasyon ng ating mamamayan; para sa layuning pangkultura at intelektuwal; para sa pagkakakilanlan at etnisidad; para sa pakikipagtalastasan sa loob at labas ng bansa; para sa pag-unlad na pang-ekonomiya; at para sa kaisahan at katatagang pampulitika.

Gusto naming isipin na lipas na ang panahon na ang mga gawain ng komisyon—sa katotohanan o sa karaniwang pagkakaalam-- ay eksklusibong nakatuon sa wikang pambansa, sa kapabayaan ng mahigit na 170ng wika ng ating bansa at nang walang makatotohanang pagsasaalang-alang sa isa pang opisyal na wika ng bansa, ang Ingles (o mas eksakto, Philippine English), na isa ring wikang ginagamit ng mga Pilipino.

Ito ang landas o linya ng “isang bansa, maraming wika”, na siyang simulain ng kasalukuyang tema ng buwan ng wika 2007, na “maraming wika, matatag na bansa.”

Ano ang batayan at katwiran ng “maraming wika, matatag na bansa”?

Ang batayan at katwiran ay may kinalaman sa pagiging multilinggwal at pagiging multikultural ng mga Pilipino. Sa halip na isang disbentahe, itinuturing ng komisyon na napakalaking bentahe ang pagkakaroon ng Pilipinas ng mahigit na 170ng wika. Pangsampu tayo sa pinakamaraming wika sa buong daigdig, sa kabila ng palasak at mapangmenos na palagay na ang mga wikang ito’y pawang mga dialekto lamang. Ang natural na kundisyon ng karaniwang Pilipino at ng karaniwang mamamayan ng daigdig ay hindi lang iisa ang alam nitong wika. Sa karaniwan, ang Pilipino at ang karaniwang tao sa daigdig ay may alam na dalawa o mahigit pang wika. Si Hesukristo ang pinakamainam na halimbawa ng pagiging multilinggwal, sapagkat marunong siya ng Aramaic, ng Hebrew, Griyego at Latin. Si pangulong GMA ay mainam na halimbawa ng isang Pilipino. Maalam siya sa Kapampangan, Sinebwano, Ilokano, Tagalog, Ingles at Espanyol. Dahil sa katotohanang ito, ang ideya at pangakong pag-unlad sa ilalim ng isang sentralisadong nasyon-estado na may iisang sentralisadong wikang pambansa ay naglalaho.

Gayunpaman, mayroon tayong wikang pambansa. Ito ang wikang Tagalog na nang dahil sa kumbinasyon ng mga sirkumstansyang historikal, pang-ekonomiya at sosyopulitikal ay naging komon na wika ng magkakaibang etnolinggwistikong grupo ng ating bayan. Ang kasalukuyang Filipino ay ang dating wika ng Katagalugan na naging pambansa. Ang Filipino, kung gayon, ay ang pambansang linggwa prangka.

Kung batayang panglinggwistika ang pag-uusapan, ang wikang pambansa at ang Tagalog ay nabibilang sa iisang wika. Ang unang batayan sa pagsabi nito ay ang tinatawag na mutual intelligibility. Ang isang nagsasalita ng “Filipino” at ang isang nagsasalita ng Tagalog ay magkakaunawaan. Kung gayon, nagsasalita sila ng isang wika.

Ang ikalawang batayan ay ang gramatika. Ang gramatika ng umiiral na “Filipino” ay walang pinag-iiba sa gramatika ng Tagalog. Totoong sa ilalim ng konstitusyon, ang wikang Filipino ay kailangang nakasalig sa mga umiiral na wika sa Pilipinas. Pero, sa ngayon, ang gramatika ng wikang pambansa ay yaong sa Tagalog. Tingnan lamang ang mga panlapi ( -um-, -in, -an, at i-) at ang mga gramatikal na pananda (i.e. ang, ng, sa) at mga partikulo (i.e. pa, na, kung, daw, kasi). Hindi ba magkapareho lang sa mga panlapi at gramatikal na pananda at partikulo ng tinatawag na “Filipino”? Walang panlapi o gramatikal na elementong galing sa Ilokano, Sebwano, Ilonggo at sa ibang malalaking wika ang may matatag na katayuan sa wikang pambansa.

May ilang teorista sa akademya na nagpapalaganap ng ideya na ang kaibahan ng “Filipino” sa Tagalog ay ang pagiging “malaya” ng una, at ang pagkapurista ng huli. Ang ibinibigay nilang halimbawa ay ang pagkakaiba ng leksikon ng “Filipino” at ng “Tagalog”, gaya raw ng “fakulti”, sa halip na “guro”, “kolehiyo” sa halip na “dalubhasaan”, “miting” sa halip na “pulong” atbp. Kinikilala ng KWF na ang “purismo” at “Tagalismo” ay mga hadlang sa pagpapaunlad ng wikang pambansa. Subalit, kailangan ding alalahanin na hindi panghihiram ng dayuhang leksikon o leksikon buhat sa iba pang wika ng Pilipinas ang batayan sa pagklasipika ng dalawa o mahigit pang barayti na magkakaibang wika. (Maging ang mga Tagalog sa Batangas at Bulakan ay nanghihiram din at nagko- code-switch.) Gaya ng nabanggit sa itaas, ang pagkakaunawaan at ang gramatika ay higit na mapagpasyang batayan. Idagdag pa rito ang katotohanan na karamihan ng mga Pilipino ay tumatawag pa rin sa wikang pambansa na “Tagalog”. at madaling maintindihan kung bakit kakaunti lamang, maliban sa kakarampot sa akademya, ang naniniwala na ang “Tagalog” at ang “Filipino” ay “magkaibang wika.”

Pero may isang malaki at hindi matatawarang pagkakaiba ang wikang Tagalog noon at ang wikang pambansa ngayon. Ang kasalukuyang wikang pambansa ay ang pangalawang wika ng nakararaming Pilipino. Mas marami nang Pilipino ngayon na marunong mag-Tagalog pero hindi ito ang kanilang kinagisnan o unang wika. Ito ang pangalawang wika nila. Ito ang isa sa tampok na dahilan sa pagtawag dito ng ibang pangalan—Filipino. Ito rin ang panlipunang batayan sa paglitaw ng mga pasalitang barayti ng “Filipino”; mga barayti na hindi lamang limitado sa Katagalugan at Kamaynilaan, kundi sumasaklaw sa Davao, Iloilo, Cebu, Baguio, Angeles, Cagayan de Oro, Zamboanga City at sa ibang punong sentrong lungsod kung saan nagtatagpo ang magkakaibang grupong etniko. Sa ngayon, ang barayting pinakaprestihiyoso ay ang barayti sa Metro Manila at kanugnog na mga lugar, na siyang itinuturo ngayon sa mga paaralan at pinalagaganap ng masmidya. .

Ang ganitong mga katotohanan, sa aking palagay, ay hindi nalingid sa mga gumawa ng mga probisyong pangwika sa ating konstitusyon. Nanalig sila na habang nalilinang, ang wikang pambansa ay dapat payabungin at pagyamanin pa salig sa umiiral na mga wika sa Pilipinas at sa iba pang wika. Idineklara din nila ang wikang Filipino at ang wikang Ingles bilang wikang opisyal, pero hindi nila kinaligtaan na ipahayag din na ang mga wikang pangrehiyon ay pantulong na wikang opisyal at midyum ng pagtuturo. Higit sa lahat, tiniyak nila ang pagtatayo ng isang komisyon na “magsasagawa, mag-uugnay at magtataguyod” ng mga pananaliksik hindi lamang sa wikang pambansa, kundi sa iba pang mga wika ng mga Pilipino. Ang ganitong mga probisyong pangkonstitusyon ay nagkaroon ng katuparan sa pagkakapagtibay ng RA 7104 na siyang lumikha sa Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino.

Ang lohika ng patakarang multilinggwal sa pagpapaunlad ng mga wika sa Pilipinas ay unti-unting tinatanggap ngayon ng mas maraming mananaliksik sa wika at/o tagagawa ng patakaran sa ating pamahalaan. Nitong kamakailan, may isang grupo ng mga mananaliksik ang naglabas ng KRT 3 Formulation of the National Learning Strategies for the Filipino and English Languages na nagmumungkahi sa pamahalaan na:

para sa ECCD (3-5ng taon), ang paggamit ng wika ng bata sa day care center. Gagamitin ang Filipino at English (at Arabic) sa mga istorya at panitikan;
para sa Grade 1 hanggang 3, ang paggamit ng wika ng bata bilang midyum ng pagkakatuto para sa lahat ng subject. Gagamitin ang Filipino at English (at Arabic) bilang magkahiwalay na subject para sa oral language development;
para sa Grade 4 pataas, Filipino bilang midyum ng pagtuturo para sa Makabayan at subject na Filipino at/o panitikan at English bilang midyum sa Math at Science. Gagamitin ang wika ng bata bilang pantulong na wika;
samantala, sa sekundarya, magtuturo ng mga language elective sa wika ng bata, wikang pangrehiyon, Arabic at anumang wika sa ibayong dagat;

Ayon sa nasabing dokumento: “(c)ontrary to being a hindrance, the languages of children must be considered as enabling factors on which student learning and achievement can be based. The use of the mother tongue in learning has been found to be the most effective way to bridge learning in all subject areas including the development of future languages. This is a generalization based on numerous experiences of other multilingual countries as well as empirical studies conducted in the Philippines.”

Ang isang halimbawa ng empirikal na pag-aaral na nagbibigay-balidasyon sa bisa ng multilinggwal na patakaran ay ang resulta ng 2006 NAT Grade 3 reading test sa dibisyon ng Kalinga. Sa sampung distritong ito, tanging ang Lubuagan lamang ang may first language component, ibig sabihin, ang unang wika ay siyang ginamit na midyum ng pagtuturo sa naturang eskuwelahan, kahit sa science at math. Ang natitirang siyam na dibisyon ay sumailalim sa regular na edukasyong bilinggwal. Ipinakikita ng reading test na ang distrito ng Lubuagan ang nakapagtala ng pinakamataas na marka sa English (76.5%) at Filipino (76.44%). Ang pumangalawa na distrito ay ang Tinglayan na nakaiskor ng 64.5% sa English at 61.4% sa Filipino. Ang pumangatlo naman ay ang Pasil, na nakaiskor ng 51.9% sa English at 47.7% sa Filipino.

Ang ganitong mga ebidensya ay nagpapatotoo na maaaring gawing tulay ang lokal na wika upang matutuhan ang English at Filipino. Ang totoo’y maraming mga pag-aaral ang nagpapakita na ang paggamit ng wikang hindi-sa- bata ay hindi makatutulong manapa’y makasasama pa nga sa pang-akademikong performance ng bata. Mahalagang banggitin muli ang mga napatunayan sa pananaliksik ni Taufeulangaki (2004):

ang mga bata ay nangangailangan ng pinakamababa na 12ng taon upang matutuhan ang kanilang unang wika;
ang mga bata ay hindi natututo ng pangalawang wika nang mas mabilis kaysa mga matanda;
ang may edad na bata ay may higit na kasanayan sa pagkatuto ng pangalawang wika;
mas importante ang pag-unlad pangkognitibo ng bata kaysa paghantad sa ikalawang wika;

Sa isang hiwalay na artikulo, nabanggit ko na ang eksklusibong paggamit ng Ingles at Filipino ay nagresulta sa tinatawag ni Smolicz, Nical and Secombe (2000) na inferiorization ng iba pang wika sa Pilipinas. Ninanakaw ng kasalukuyang patakarang bilinggwal ang wika ng bata at hinahalinhan ito ng isang wikang di-pamilyar at tiwalag sa kanilang kultura at karanasan. Ang mensahe ng bilinggwal na edukasyon sa marami nating mag-aaral ay walang kuwenta ang kanilang kinagisnang wika. Sa halip na tingnan bilang resource at pundasyon ng panimulang kaalaman, itinuturing ang pagkakatuto ng wikang sarili na isang malaking kakulangan o deficiency, o dikaya’y kapansanan. Sa halip na pagmamahal at pagpapahalaga sa sariling kultura’t wika, pagkutya at pagmamaliit sa sarili ang itinuturo ng kasalukuyang patakaran. Ang solusyon, sa ganang akin, ay hindi ang pagpapalit ng Filipino sa Ingles bilang pangunahing midyum ng pagtuturo, kundi ang tamang pagtitimpla sa gamit ng lokal na wika, wikang pambansa at wika ng mas malawak na komunikasyon sa sistemang pang-edukasyon.

Sinusuportahan ng KWF ang anumang kampanya na papaghusayin ang kasanayan sa Ingles ng ating mga estudyante. Pero kailangang linawin na ang pinakamabisang paraan ay ang pagturo dito bilang pangalawang wika. Ito ang isa sa mga layunin ng Executive Order No. 210 na ang pamagat ay nagtatadhana sa pagpapalakas ng Ingles bilang pangalawang wika. Ang interpretasyon ko sa pagtuturo ng Ingles bilang “pangalawang wika” ay magsimula sa kinagisnang wika sa unang mga grado. Sa proseso ng pagbulas ng kasanayang pangliterasi at pangkognitibo ng estudyante sa kinagisnang wika at kultura, ipakilala ang Ingles at ang Filipino bilang mga subject. Sa paglaon ay maaari na ring ituro ang iba pang subject sa Filipino at Ingles.

Gayunpaman, ang katatasan sa Ingles ay hindi makakamtan lamang sa eskuwelahan. Sa loob at labas ng eskuwelahan, kailangang magkaroon ang mga estudyante ng mga modelo o huwaran sa pagsusulat at pagsasalita ng mabuting Ingles, at kasabay nito ng mga pagkakataon para magamit ang kanilang kasanayan sa Ingles. Sa kasalukuyan ay walang sapat na motibasyon at oportunidad maliban sa eskuwelahan upang mapaunlad ng mga estudyante ang kanilang kasanayan sa Ingles, laluna sa pagsasalita nito.

Ang komitment ng KWF sa “isang bansa, maraming wika” ay makikita sa tema at saklaw ng nakaraang patimpalak na idinaos noong Buwan ng Wika 2006. Sa simula’t sapul ay nakasanayan na namin na magdaos nang taunan ng isang patimpalak lamang, ang tradisyunal na Gantimpalang Collantes sa sanaysay sa wikang Filipino. Noong 2006, sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon ay nagdaos ang KWF ng magkakahiwalay na mga timpalak sa pormal na pagsulat sa Sebwano (tula at maikling kuwento), Iloko (tula at maikling kuwento), Hiligaynon (maikling kuwento) at Pangasinan (tula). Ang nagwaging mga akda ay nakatipon ngayon sa isang akda na pinamagatang Ani ng Wika 2006. Ang tema ng buwan ng wika 2006 ay: “Ang buwan ng wikang pambansa ay buwan ng mga wika ng Pilipinas.”

Ngayong taong 2007, pinalawak namin ang saklaw ng patimpalak para makasama ang Bikol (maikling kuwento at sanaysay), Samar-Leyte (tula at maikling kuwento), Kapampangan (tula), Meranaw (sanaysay), Maguindanao (sanaysay) at Tausug (sanaysay). Ang tema ng buwan ng wika 2007 ay: “Maraming wika, matatag na bansa.”

Ang multilinggwal na adhikain ng KWF ay hindi lamang naipapahayag sa taunang pagdiriwang ng buwan ng wika at pagkilala sa mahusay na mga akdang pampanitikan, kundi sa mga pangmatagalang programa at proyektong inako nitong isakatuparan.

Ang mga programa’t proyektong ito ay naglalayon na makamit ang sumusunod na pagbabago sa ating kapaligiran: ang pagpabor ng opinyong publiko sa multilinggwalismo. Hanggang ngayon, marami pa rin ang naniniwala na hindi na kailangang pag-aralan ang wikang pambansa o ang ating mga lokal na wika sapagkat “alam na natin ito.” Laganap pa rin ang maling pag-iisip na ang pagkakaroon ng isang wika ay mapagpasya sa pagbubuo ng isang bansa.

Upang pumabor ang opinyong publiko sa multilinggwalismo, plano naming magbigay ng napapanahong mga impormasyon sa OP, DEPED, CHED, ang Kongreso at iba pang ahensya ng gobyerno tungkol sa mga bagay na may kinalaman sa wika. Makatwiran lamang na ang unang benepisyaryo ng aming mga pananaliksik ay ang pamahalaan na rin.

Gusto rin naming lumikha ng bagong mga kaalamang pangwika at pampanitikan. Nais naming palakasin ang: Philippine Lexicography program, Philippine Grammars Program, ang National Translation Program, ang Phonology, Phonetics and Ortography Program, mga proyekto sa literasiya at pagtuturo ng wika; Philippine Language Mapping Project; Bibliography of Philippine Languages project; Endangered Languages Program; Philippine corpus;

Gusto rin naming palaganapin sa publiko at stakeholder ang impormasyon at kaalamang pangwika at pampanitikan. Kayá namin itinatayo ang: Library and Archives of Philippine Languages; pinapataas ang kantidad at kalidad ng mga publikasyon; nagdadaos ng mga seminar, workshop, lektyur, at iba pang aktibidad na pang-edukasyon; pinapaganda ang aming website; nagkakaloob ng mga research grants o tinutulungan ang mga stakeholder na makakuha ng mga research grants; nagtatayo ng mga language councils sa mga rehiyon; pinalalakas ang mga kakayahang pang-IT at pampananaliksik, at sinisikap na magkaroon ng sarili naming tahanan at gusali.

Sa pagwawakas, nais kong ibilin sa inyo ang sinabi ng isang katutubong Amerikano, isang American Indian, tungkol sa relasyon ng wika at ng buhay. Aniya, kailangan natin ang wikang dayuhan para mabuhay sa kasalukuyang panahon. Pero kailangan natin ang wikang sarili, para mabuhay nang habampanahon.

Magandang umaga sa inyong lahat.

Regional Languages as MOI in First Few Years of Grade School

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Wed, 02 May 2007 17:05:00 +0000

Following is a copy of my email today to Roy V. Aragon, a prize-winning Ilocano writer, blogger and creator of dadapilan.com [cc: Cles Rambaud (Bannawag), Aurelio Agcaoili (NAKEM/Univ of Hawaii at Manoa), Jaime Agpalo, Jr. (Tawid News Magasin), Joel B. Manuel, and Djuna Alcantara (GUMIL)]:

Dear Roy,

I am delighted to note that my sentiments on the language issue are echoed in Manuel L. Quezon III's column in today's Arab News entitled "Our Languages and Our Songs in the Philippines", to wit:

"Every so often a debate [occasioned doubtless by the recent Petition FOR CERTIORARI, PROHIBITION with PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION filed with the Supreme Court on April 27, 2007, re President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Exec. Order No. 210 as implemented by DepEd Order No. 36] breaks out in the papers, and quickly turns into a fight. The debate is over which language should be taught in our schools. The debate used to focus on two languages: English and Filipino. In recent years, it’s become a three-cornered fight: English vs. Filipino vs. the other languages of the Philippines. I have my own views on the matter (English is necessary; Filipino, too; and advocates of both have a historical obligation to recognize the aspirations of other Philippine languages, so that learning either doesn’t come at the expense, politically and culturally, of the others)."

Now, I think that's the kind of healthy attitude we Ilocanos [especially those in position to help influence the powers-that-be] should have to help turn the tide on the decline of Ilocano, especially among our young people. To us, their elders, the subtle decline might not seem perceptible now. However, give it a few years, perhaps when these same young ones become parents who are less capable of articulating themselves in Ilocano, what do you think will happen to Ilocano then unless we stem the decline now?

MLQ3's rhetorical question is most illustrative of the point I have aligned myself to espouse, namely that literature written in one's own language is the mirror of one's culture:

"How would you appreciate Cebuano culture, if you cannot speak Cebuano? The closest I have dare come to doing so is by means of three songs: Hearing our national anthem sung in Cebuano; listening to the kundiman “Ay, Kalisud!”, and by belonging to a generation that had its first exposure to history by laughing along to Yoyoy Villame."

MLQ3 concluded his column with something he experienced somewhere in Cebu:

"Right now, it is simply illegal to sing our national anthem in any language other than Filipino. I once attended a concert which opened with the anthem being sung first in Spanish, then in English, then in Tagalog: All three times, it stirred my heart, and I felt, through those languages, drew me closer to the generations that grew up singing our national hymn in those languages. It was an emotion I felt, as well, in Cebu when students there broke the law and sang the anthem in Cebuano.

In Cebu, the students opened their program in Cebuano, they welcomed me in Filipino, and I talked to them in Filipino but they asked me questions in English. We all got along very well, and we all left the symposium with smiles on our faces. It may be that a younger generation, younger than you or I, have settled the old debate among themselves. There is a place for everything, and that place is a more reasonable, more accommodating, but ultimately, dignified place when it comes to language."

I like to go back to an era in our country when the freedom of speech or expression was held high, when anyone could speak in his/her own regional language without fear of getting fined, sing songs, even the national anthem in his/her regional language without breaking the law--and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it. We chose to learn English and that was just fine because we found out we could flourish in it, and to our advantage, we simply latched on to something that is now the undisputed global language.

Dean Jorge Bocobo's commentary on this issue gives us Ilocanos some enlightening perspective on the abovementioned petition which is chock-full of faulty premises. Notably inaccurate among such premises of the petitioners:

"9.4. Government and institutional studies have shown that children in the grade schools cannot learn how to read and write in English..."

Now, that's odd. Except for the 3-year old preschooler and some minor petitioners, the rest of the petitioners must have gone through grade school and learned English as to be able to craft the petition itself in English and continue to participate in the intellectual intercourse using English.

"9.6. The harmful effects of using a foreign language [English] for learning are not just limited to low academic achievement and cognitive growth; it also impairs the emotional security and the sense of self-worthiness and the ability to participate meaningfully in the educational process by lower class children who develop inferiority complex as they are stigmatized by their use of the native tongue."

Well, tell that to the Cebuanos, Ilocanos, Hiligaynons, Bicolanos, Warays, Pampangans, Pangasinenses, etc., who consider Tagalog, er, Filipino as a foreign language! But then those same "harmful effects" didn't seem to limit the academic achievement of most of the petitioners.

About the only thing that I agree with the petitioners is their desire to have the regional languages be used as the medium of instruction (MOI) in the respective regions to "enable school children to learn how to read and write and enable them to acquire the foundations of knowledge in the first few years of education".

In the final analysis, I believe the most pragmatic and equitable course of action would be to amend Exec. Order No. 210 and DepEd Order No 36 to include the regional languages as MOI in their respective regions in the first few years of education. It is the sensible and constitutional thing to do, period.

GMA EO #210 is Unconstitutional, Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 20:36:00 +0000

In my blog post on April 9, 2007 (below), “GMA's Exec. Order #210 (2003) is Unconstitutional”, I posed the following question: “Was there ever a constitutional challenge to GMA's Executive Order #210?”

Well, the answer came when a group of self-proclaimed group of nationalists, mostly heavyweights from academia, filed with the Philippine Supreme Court on April 27, 2007, a petition for certiori and prohibition:

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
SUPREME COURT
MANILA

WIKA NG KULTURA AT AGHAM, INC.
(WIKA), represented by its President, ISAGANI
R. CRUZ; LINANGAN SA RETORIKA AT
ARTE INC. (LIRA), represented by BEVERLY
SIY; FILIPINAS INSTITUTE OF TRANSLATION
INC. (FIT), represented by ROMULO P. BAQUIRAN
JR.; SAMAHAN NG MGA TAGASALIN (SALIN)
INC., represented by AURORA E. BATNAG;
EFREN R. ABUEG; VIRGILIO S. ALMARIO; Minors
AMANSINAYA and IDYANALE AÑONUEVO,
represented by their Father, ROBERTO T.
AÑONUEVO; ABDON BALDE JR.; Minors MIKO
IDYANALE, JEANNE HARAYA, MIGUEL
BULAWAN, all surnamed COROZA, represented
by their Father, MICHAEL M. COROZA;
RANDOLF DAVID; MA. THERESA DE VILLA;
FANNY A. GARCIA; JUAN T. GATBONTON;
PATRICIA B. LICUANAN; BIENVENIDO
LUMBERA; Minors DINAH PSALMA SIGLA,
VICTOR EMMANUEL CARMELO II, DINAH
PALMERA SULAT, all surnamed NADERA,
represented by their Father, VICTOR EMMANUEL
CARMELO D. NADERA JR.; VINA P. PAZ; JOVY
M. PEREGRINO; NICANOR G. TIONGSON;
ROSARIO TORRES-YU; and GALILEO S. ZAFRA,

Petitioners,

G.R. NO. ___________________

FOR CERTIORARI, PROHIBITION

with PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION

- versus -

PRES. GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO,
Executive Secretary EDUARDO ERMITA,
and Sec. JESLI LAPUS,

Respondents.

x-------------------------------------------------- x.

PETITION

PETITIONERS, through counsel, respectfully file this Petition for Certiorari and Prohibition, with a Prayer for the issuance of a writ of Preliminary Injunction and/or Temporary Restraining Order, and allege:

PARTIES

1. Petitioner WIKA NG KULTURA AT AGHAM, INC. (WIKA), is an association of educators, writers, and cultural workers duly organized and existing under the laws of the Philippines, with address at Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura, Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, Diliman, Quezon City, and represented herein by its President, ISAGANI R. CRUZ; Petitioner LINANGAN SA RETORIKA AT ARTE, INC. (LIRA), an association of linguists and artists, is an organization existing under the laws of the Philippines, represented by its President, BEVERLY SIY, with address at No. 128 K-8th St., Kamias, Quezon City; Petitioner FILIPINAS INSTITUTE OF TRANSLATION, INC. (FIT), is an association of language translators and teachers, is also existing under the laws of the Philippines, and is represented by its President, ROMULO P. BAQUIRAN JR., with address at No. 29 E. Ramos St., Krus Na Ligas, UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City; Petitioner SAMAHAN NG MGA TAGASALIN, INC. (SALIN), an association of language translators and teachers, is also existing under the laws of the Philippines, and is represented by its President, AURORA E. BATNAG, with address at Unit 21 North Point Townhomes, Seminary Road, Quezon City.

2. Individual Petitioners are all of legal age (except the minors who are represented herein by their fathers), citizens and taxpayers of the Philippines:

a. EFREN R. ABUEG, a resident of No. 57 Rodriguez St., Philamlife Village, Las Pinas City, is a writer in residence at De La Salle University, Dasmarinas, Cavite;

b. VIRGILIO S. ALMARIO, residing at No. 5 Flametree Place, Ferndale Homes, Brgy. Pasong Tamo, Quezon City, who has been named National Artist in Literature, is presently the Dean of the College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City;

c. Minor AMANSINAYA AÑONUEVO, aged 12, is a high school student at La Immaculada School; while Minor IDYANALE AÑONUEVO, aged 7, is an elementary school student at La Immaculada School; both of them are represented herein by their Father, ROBERTO T. AÑONUEVO, who is the Chairman of UNYON NG MGA MANUNULAT SA PILIPINAS (UMPIL);

d. ABDON BALDE JR., a resident of No. 18 Dao St., Casimiro Village, Las Piñas City; is a Bikolano writer;

e. Minors MIKO IDYANALE COROZA, aged 12, is a high school student at Marikina Science High School; Minor JEANNE HARAYA COROZA is an elementary school student at Nangka Elementary School; and Minor MIGUEL BULAWAN COROZA, aged 4, is in pre-school; all the minors herein are represented by their Father, MICHAEL M. COROZA, residing at Blk. 7, Lot 30, Ateneo Ville, Nangka, Marikina City, and is Assistant Professor in the Department of Filipino, in the School of Humanities, Ateneo de Manila University, Loyola Heights, Quezon City;

f. RANDOLF DAVID, a resident of No. 17 Gomburza St., UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City, is Professor in the Department of Sociology, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City;

g. MA. THERESA DE VILLA, a resident of No. 38 Viola St., U.P. Campus, Diliman, Quezon City, is Professor of English, UP Integrated School, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City;

h. FANNY A. GARCIA, a resident of No. AB-2-102 Hardin ng Rosas, UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City, is Associate Professor and Chairman, Department of Filipino, De la Salle University, Taft Avenue, Manila;

i. JUAN T. GATBONTON, a resident of No. 5A Col. Martelino St., Heroes Hill, Quezon City, is a freelance writer;

j. PATRICIA B. LICUANAN, a resident of No. 6 Gaddang St., La Vista, Loyola Heights, Quezon City, is President of Miriam College, Loyola Heights, Quezon City;

k. BIENVENIDO LUMBERA, who has been named National Artist in Literature, resides at No. 56 Caimito St., Mapayapa Vill., Quezon City, and is Professor Emeritus, Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas, Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City;

l. Minors DINAH PSALMA SIGLA NADERA, aged 9, is an elementary school student at University of the Philippines – Integrated School; Minor VICTOR EMMANUEL CARMELO NADERA II, aged 7, is an elementary school student at Claret School; while Minor DINAH PALMERA SULAT, aged 3, is in pre-school; all these minors are presented by their Father, VICTOR EMMANUEL CARMELO D. NADERA JR., a resident of Unit 613, Sikatuna BLISS, Phase II, Quezon City, is Director of the Institute of Creative Writing, Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City;

m. VINA P. PAZ, a resident of No. 601 6th St., Martin Subd., Angono, Rizal, is Head, Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas, Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City;

n. JOVY PEREGRINO, a resident of No. E-105 Hardin ng Bougainvillea, Aguinaldo St., UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City, is Associate Professor, Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas, Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City;

o. NICANOR G. TIONGSON, a resident of 28F, 8 Wack-wack Road, Mandaluyong City, is Professor, UP Film Institute, College of Mass Communications, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City;

p. ROSARIO TORRES-YU, a resident of No. 5 Pook Aguinaldo, UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City, is Professor, Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas, Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City; and

q. GALILEO S. ZAFRA, residing at No. 52 Agoncillo St., Area 1, UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City, holds office as Director, Sentro ng Wikang Filipino, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City; All the Minor Petitioners herein, represented by their parents, and aware of their intergenerational responsibility to the generations yet to come, are numerous and representative enough of all elementary and high school students, and file the instant Petition in behalf of all children who are now attending, or who in the future will attend, public and private elementary and high schools all over the country.

3. Respondent GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO is impleaded in her capacity as President of the Republic of the Philippines, and Respondent EDUARDO R. ERMITA is impleaded in his capacity as Executive Secretary. Both Respondents can be served with summons in Malacañang Palace, Manila.

4. Respondent JESLI R. LAPUS is impleaded in his capacity as Secretary of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports, and he may be served with summons at the Department of Education, Meralco Ave., Pasig City.

CAUSES OF ACTION

5. On May 17, 2003, Respondents President of the Philippines and Executive Secretary promulgated Executive Order No. 210 entitled “Establishing the Policy to Strengthen English as a Second Language in the Educational System”. The salient points of the said EO are:

(a) English should be taught as a second language at all levels of the educational system, starting with the First Grade;

(b) English should be used as the medium of instruction for English, Mathematics, and Science from at least the Third Grade Level;

(c) The English language shall be used as a primary medium of instruction in all public institutions of learning at the secondary level;

(d) As the primary medium of instruction, the percentage of time allotment for learning areas conducted in the English language in high school is expected to be not less than seventy (70%) of the total time allotment for all learning areas; and

(e) The Filipino language shall continue to be the medium of instruction in the learning areas of Filipino and Araling Panlipunan. A true copy of EO No. 210 is herewith attached as Annex “A”.

6. While the title of the EO purports to strengthen the use of English as a second language, an analysis of the contents show that the EO actually strengthens English as the primary medium of instruction.

7. On August 22, 2006, Respondent Secretary of Education implemented EO 210 by promulgating Department of Education Memorandum Order No. 36, Series of 2006 DepEd Order No. 36), providing as follows:

a. English shall be taught as a second language starting with Grade I;

b. As provided for in the 2002 Basic Education Curriculum, English shall be used as the medium of instruction for English, Mathematics and Science and Health starting Grade III; and

c. The English language shall be used as the primary medium of instruction in all public and private schools in the secondary level, including those established as laboratory and/or experimental schools, and vocational and technical institutions. As the primary medium of instruction, the percentage of time allotment for learning areas conducted in the English language should not be less than seventy (70%) of the total time allotment for all learning areas in all year levels. A true copy of DepEd Order No. 36 is attached as Annex “B”.

8. Both EO 210 and DepEd Order No. 36 patently violate the Constitution which provides in Article XIV: Section 6: The national language of the Philippines is Filipino. As it evolves, it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages. Subject to provisions of law and as the Congress may deem appropriate, the Government shall take steps to initiate and sustain the use of Filipino as a medium of official communication and as language of instruction in the educational system. Section 7. For the purpose of communication and instruction, the official languages of the Philippines are Filipino and, until otherwise provided by law, English. The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction therein.

8.1. The provisions of EO 210 and DepEd Order No. 36 that English shall be taught as a second language starting with the First Grade violates the above-quoted provisions of the Constitution since Filipino is actually only the second language in non-Tagalog areas. The EO thus subverts the present status of Filipino in non-Tagalog areas, and violates the constitutional injunction that the regional languages shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction.

8.2. The provision of the EO that the English language shall be used as a primary medium of instruction for English, Mathematics and Science from at least the Third Grade level is a clear violation of the constitutional duty of Respondents “to initiate and sustain the use of Filipino as language of instruction in the educational system.

8.3. The provision of the EO that the English language shall be used as the primary medium of instruction in all public and private institutions of learning in the secondary level, and the provision that encourages the use of English as the primary medium in the tertiary level, undermine both the letter and the spirit of the Constitution on the national language, which has prescribed Filipino as the medium of instruction on pedagogical grounds.

8.4. Indeed, in the 1991 Report of the Congressional Commission on Education, it was recommended that the vernacular and Filipino should be the medium of instruction for basic education. It enjoined the Department of Education to develop a plan such that between 1991 and 1998, a program for the development of instructional materials in Filipino is adopted and implemented and that, by the year 2000, all subjects, except English and other languages, shall be taught in Filipino.

8.5. In 1998, the results of a World Bank/ADB education research demonstrate that the use of the vernacular in the first years of school provides the necessary bridge for a child to learn a second language (in this case Filipino or English), and that children are less likely to drop out of school during the first years of school when instruction is in the language spoken at home.

8.6. Thus, in 1998, an attempt was made to revive vernacular teaching through the use of the three major local lingua francae of the Philippines (Ilokano, Cebuano, Tagalog) as media of instruction until Grade 3 and in English thereafter, under the bilingual scheme. The pilot project was conceptualized with the help of specialists from the Summer Institute of Linguistics. The initial feedback from the pilot schools set up was overwhelmingly positive (pupils were active, not passive; they asked questions spontaneously instead of answering in monosyllables and phrases in a language they hardly understood, conceptualization especially in mathematics took place almost from the first day in school).

8.7. In 2000, the Philippine Commission on Educational Reforms, while reaffirming the bilingual policy and the improvement in the teaching of English, proposed the introduction of the use of the lingua franca or vernacular as the medium of instruction in Grade One. Studies have shown that this change will make students stay in school longer, learn better, quicker and more permanently, and will in fact be able to use the first language as a bridge to more effective learning in English and Filipino.

9. The promulgation of EO 210 and its implementation by means of DepEd Order No. 36 by Respondents operates to the disadvantage of a suspect class and impinges on the fundamental right to education protected by the Constitution (Art. XIV, section 1) and thus violates the due process and equal protection clause of the Constitution (Art. III, sec. 1).

9.1. The said EO and the implementing Order absolutely deprives school children coming from the lower socio-economic classes of the desired benefits in education for it has been shown that due to poverty, such school children receive very little public education, or a poorer quality of education than that available to rich families, and they end up as functional illiterates because of the use of English as a medium of instruction,

9.2. Government research and studies show that for every ten children entering Grade 1, only five get to Grade 6, two get to high school, and only one finishes college education. All drop-outs from elementary school become illiterates.

9.3. This points out the need for effective teaching in the grade schools so that a good number of school children can become literate after primary school. They have to learn to read and write in grade school, to acquire basic knowledge and experience so that even if they drop out in the elementary grades, they already have acquired the foundation of literacy and basic knowledge.

9.4. Government and institutional studies have shown that children in the grade schools cannot learn how to read and write in English. Instead, it is the vernacular or Filipino, which is easy for them to understand, which will enable them to learn how to read and write and enable them to acquire the foundations of knowledge in the first few years of education.

9.5. The failure of Respondents to implement Filipino and the regional languages as the primary media of instruction has led to serious difficulties in learning among school children in elementary and high school, including herein Petitioner Minors, which has led to ineffective communication in the classrooms, low academic achievement, and high drop-out rate.

9.6. The harmful effects of using a foreign language for learning are not just limited to low academic achievement and cognitive growth; it also impairs the emotional security and the sense of self-worthiness and the ability to participate meaningfully in the educational process by lower class children who develop inferiority complex as they are stigmatized by their use of the native tongue.

9.7. Doubtless, a sense of inferiority affects the motivation of children to learn (McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents, 339 U.S. 637); it affects his ability to study, to engage in discussions and exchange views with other students; such considerations apply with added force to children in grade and high schools (Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483). And all of this is the result of social and economic differences in status or in the environment of the students.

9.8. The implementation of EO 210 and DepEd Order No. 36, as well as other relevant implementing orders of the Department of Education, are designed to operate to the peculiar disadvantage of the comparatively poor children in elementary and high schools, thus creating a “suspect classification” subject to strict judicial scrutiny by the Honorable Court.

9.9. Furthermore, the use in education of English alienates children from their own cultural heritage and will produce a generation of young people who have no cultural values and who lack the traditions that make for a nation's identity. This has beclouded the responsibility of Petitioner Minors to pass on the cultural heritage of our nation to the next generations. Such a grave responsibility can only be accomplished through the use of the national language in school.

10. In prescribing English as the primary medium of instruction Respondents have acted ultra vires and in excess of their jurisdiction and in violation of the Constitution, and Petitioners have no other plain, speedy and adequate remedy at law, and by way of -

PETITION FOR A WRIT OF PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION
OR TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER

11. Petitioners replead the above allegations.

12. Petitioners, and most specially Minor Petitioners representing their class, now suffer and will continue to suffer irreparable injury as mentioned above, resulting in stunted cognitive growth and low intellectual achievement as well as impairment of the thinking process, which has wrought incalculable damage to the intellectual development of said Petitioners;

13. This wholesale violation of the human right to education and deprivation of the right to equal protection of the law of Petitioners can only be abated by the equity power of the Honorable Court;

14. Petitioners are willing to post a bond in such reasonable amount as may be set by the Honorable Court to answer for any damages Respondents may suffer as a result of the issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction/TRO.

PRAYER

WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed that --

(1) Upon the filing of this Petition, a writ of preliminary injunction/TRO issue, ordering Respondents and any person acting under them, to cease and desist from implementing EO 210 and any of its implementing orders/regulations, specially DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2006, and

(2) After hearing, EO 210 and DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2006, and any other implementing order or regulations be declared null and void in violation of the Constitution.

PETITIONERS pray for such other and further relief as may be just and equitable in the premises.

Makati City for Manila, April 27, 2007.

AGABIN VERZOLA HERMOSO &
LAYAOEN LAW OFFICES
Counsel for Petitioners
26th Floor, Pacific Star Building
Gil Puyat Ave. cor. Makati Ave.
Makati City

By:

PACIFICO A. AGABIN
Roll No. 16609/06.07.61
PTR No. 0385207/01.31.07/Makati
IBP Life Roll No. 251

Some notable reactions came from:

Dean Jorge Bocobo in Philippine Commentary: The Medium is the Mess; The Medium is the Mess Part 2; A Curious Paradox.

Manuel L. Quezon III in the Philippine Inquirer: Misplaced Emphasis on English.

As for me, I have expressed my sentiments on the issue in a number of posts in this blog. My wish is that those of us who are in the Ilocano sector should participate proactively in the forthcoming discussion on the above matter instead of letting others (who are not as intensely interested in Ilocano as we are) decide what to do with our very own language.

(But really, do these elderly people behind the petition have to drag a 3-year old pre-schooler and those other young ones to do the work for them?)

Ilocano Cas MOI Cadagiti Escuela a Mayoria ti Ilocano

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 01:24:00 +0000

Iti daytoy a tungtungan maipapan iti pannacaaramat ti Ilocano cas medium of instruction (MOI) iti escuela primaria cadagiti lugar a mayoria dagiti Ilocano, napadayawannac iti itatabuno da Raymund Addun, Research Associate diay Institute of Popular Democracy, ken maysa met cadagiti advocates ti pannacausar ti Ilocano iti pagtutungtungan a publico, iti govierno local, iti escuela ken nadumaduma a media cadagiti amin a luglugar nga Ilocano ti pagsasao ti caadduan, ken ni Dr. Ariel Agcaoili, NAKEM Conference coordinator ken Professor iti University of Hawaii at Manoa:

Mon, 9 Apr 2007 05:15:05: Insurat ni Joe Padre:

Dear Raymund,

In an email, Ariel Agcaoili mentioned that you're presently in Spain on a scholarship. Excellent!

Well, the reason I'm writing to you really is Ariel's telling me that you are involved in the Ilocano language dialogue. In fact, I've read some of your views in that blog you have with Joel B. Manuel. This is great because, as a newbie in this, I truly think that there should be more like you to keep the dialogue alive and over the top of the national agenda. As we learned in Spanish I, "El bato rolando gathero no moso."

By way of introduction, I invite you to read where I'm coming from at ilocano-samtoy.blogspot.com. Then please email me what you think.

I'm also trying to convince a few people, including Cles Rambaud, Editor, Bannawag, to archive in an Internet website all existing Ilocano literary material, including oral folklore, to preserve them for the present generation and posterity and to provide content material if we were to push for the use of Ilocano as auxilliary medium of instruction in our schools where Ilocano is spoken by the majority as mandated by the 1987 Constitution. I have suggested a basic content outline at ilocano-online.com. I thought Roy V. Aragon's dadapilan.com would be the ideal site for the archive, however, it would be up to him if he is amenable to work in the proposed Ilocano Online content. Otherwise, we'd just have to have an independent Ilocano Online website.

Would really appreciate your insight into these.

Thanks and good luck and may you enjoy your stay in Spain!

Sincerely yours,

Joe Padre

Mon, 9 Apr 2007 14:36:00: Insurat ni Raymund Addun:

Dear Joe,

Thanks for writing.

Yes, i remember writing an essay with Joel about 3 years ago on Ilocano orthography. Unfortunately (or is it fortunately?), since then I have changed my views on the subject. I have even asked Joel to delete that essay. Re orthography, for now I couldn’t care less because a greater threat or battle has to be fought. This threat is that originating from the present language policy of the government.

On "regional" languages being auxiliary languages in schools: this is not enough to resurrect and develop our regional languages. Even if the regional languages were given the status of auxilliary languages, their use as such would only be given lip-service by the powers-that-be at the DepEd and KWF. For a language to develop, it must be given priority/primacy in all aspects of social life: schools, government, media. To demand auxiliary status in schools is akin to a slave asking for rugs with which to wrap his chains so that they would not make so much noise. No, what we should demand is the breaking up of the chains that bind us. We have been enslaved by the Tagalistas for so long already. We should demand that Ilocano be the official lingua franca in Ilocandia. That is, Ilocano should not only be the medium of instruction in some subjects, but in ALL subjects. It should not only be read in Ilocano literature but in all books, be they technical, scientific or literary. It should be used by the Ilocano governments in all their communications. In short, our vision should be grand and not small. Our vision should be to have Ilocano stand with respect among the other living languages of the world such as English, Spanish, and German.

On compiling all Ilocano literary works, this is long overdue. They should be compiled electronically. In short, let us have an electronic corpus. The corpus not only is the world view of the language, literature and culture of the Ilocanos, it is also the basis from which the language will blossom. With it we can develop our lexical banks, dictionaries, common usage rules.

The state of Ilocano under the threat of being either ruined or altogether killed by the government’s short-sighted language policies is precarious. Even if we win the battle, we will have to rebuild from the ruins. We should be ready for this eventuality.

Ala ngarud wen. ditoy pay laeng.

Agyamanak. 'imbag nga aldaw.

Raymund

Mon, 9 Apr 2007 16:42:56: Insurat ni Joe Padre:

Dear Raymund,

It's good to know someone like you has so much passion for this kind of dialogue which is long overdue for elevation into the national agenda. My initial assessment of the problem is that we Ilocanos are incredibly too passive, especially in reacting to initiatives by the government that affect our lives, our language, our literature and culture. We take pride in being characterized as being pliant like the bamboo even if the forces of change, mostly external, are out to bring the bamboo to its breaking point. We don't seem to have the spunk of the Chavacanos--their steadfast adherence to their own language and orthography, their refusal to follow the mainstream. I do like to use John Stuart Mills admonition on a similar plane:

"A people may prefer a free government, but if, from indolence, or carelessness, or cowardice, or want of public spirit, they are unequal to the exertions necessary for preserving it; if they will not fight for it when it is directly attacked; if they can be deluded by the artifices used to cheat them out of it; if by momentary discouragement, or temporary panic, or a fit of enthusiasm for an individual, they can be induced to lay their liberties at the feet even of a great man, or trust him with powers which enable him to subvert their institutions; in all these cases they are more or less unfit for liberty: and though it may be for their good to have had it even for a short time, they are unlikely long to enjoy it."

There's an excellent article written by Elizabeth A. Calinawagan (of the UP- Baguio) which was among the papers presented at the 2006 NAKEM Conference, one of Ariel Agcaoili's more useful thingamajigs. Entitled "Empowering Ilokano as Language for Local Governance" (p. 35), the paper presents empirical data on language usage within the minutes of a local government meeting in the City of San Fernando, La Union. I believe your concerns about the primacy of the Ilocano language, or lack thereof, in public functions are addressed.

My theory about insisting on Ilocano becoming one of the major players as media of instruction at the elementary and/or secondary levels in schools where the majority speaks Ilocano is that once the young ones actually see/realize the value of their mother tongue being used as medium of instruction in school, they will be the next staunchest supporters of its use in public functions when they grow up, especially among those who are lucky to become our leaders of tomorrow.

At any rate, I suggest we continue the dialogue without letting down.

I think the first order of business ought to concentrate our energies on having GMA's Exec. Order #210 of May 17, 2003, as implemented by DepEd Memo. #189 of June 2003 and DepEd Order #36 of Aug. 22, 2006, declared UNCONSTITUTIONAL so the powers-that-be would be forced to implement the provisions of Sec. 7, Art. 14 of the 1987 Constitution which mandates, among other things, that "The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction therein."

We are not about to let Ilocano fall victim of a determined language genocide being waged by no less than the President herself.

Regards,

Joe Padre

Mon, 9 Apr 2007 17:50:36: Insurat ni Ariel Agcaoili:

Patgek a Joe,

Addaakon iti 'dumadangadang' mode. I want to fight--and now.

We are getting Dr. Nolasco to address us at the Nakem and we are putting together a resolution asking him to support the cause of declaring Ilokano as one of the country's national languages. It is high time we did this. Makapaunget ti ar-aramidenda a kastoy. You are right about this linguistic and cultural genocide and this is systemic.

Be well,

Ariel

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 00:42:55: Insurat ni Raymund Addun:

Dear Ariel,

I am feeling like Simoun in the Fili. To kindle a revolution, let a thousand Ilocanos be frustrated. My take is that, the KWF and the powers-that-be will not listen. But that's how a revolution starts. So let it be. Let's dialogue and present our views to them. But let us be prepared for it to fall on deaf ears. It is for KWF's negativism vis-a-vis the regional languages and the frustration that I have that I am banking on grassroots/guerrilla tactics for Ilocano. When a critical mass of Ilocanos shall have been convinced of the righteousness of our cause, then with one great voice in unison with our other non-Tagalog comrades, let us declare to the President, the KWF, DepEd and the other instrumentalities of government involved in developing and implementing language policy: ENOUGH of this CULTURAL GENOCIDE, ADOPT A NORMALIZATION POLICY FOR OUR LANGUAGES, NATIONALIZE or OFFICIALIZE ALL MAJOR LANGUAGES. RECTIFY the ERRORS of a one-nation-one-language policy.

The reasons I can think of why the powers-that-be still cling to the conservative, reactionary and obscurantist policy of developing a national language they hypocritically call Filipino are personal and selfish in nature. However, I'll refrain from specifics here lest I strike a sensitive chord if this loop gets to travel around.

On Joe's views about children learning in Ilocano: an approach short of a general normalization policy on account of which it would not be sustainable. Even if children were exposed to Ilocano, such exposure would be neutralized by their exposure to Tagalog and English. And because of the favored use of Tagalog and English in the social milieu, the students' exposure to their native Ilocano would come to naught. There is no substitute for a general or systemic approach to language learning and development.

Proponents of the evolution of a national language such as Filipino based primarily on Tagalog want us to believe that "we need a common (national) language to understand each other". Truth is even before all the government initiatives to install Tagalog (now Filipino) as the national language, we--multi-cultural and multi-lingual that we are--already had English or Spanish to communicate with each other. Our forebears and leaders found nothing wrong with using a colonial language to liberate themselves. Jose Rizal wrote the Noli and Fili in Spanish. Besides, the one-nation-one-language proponents have grossly underestimated the power of regional language loyalty. Hence, even now that it appears Tagalog or the new "Filipino" has taken roots across the nation, even now that it has been swallowed hook and sinker in the form regurgitated by KWF plus all the permutations perpetuated by a bilingual language policy, the desired "one-nation-one-language" unity as a nation has continued to elude us.

The selection of Tagalog as the basis for the national language was necessarily a product of the biases of those in power at the time the choice was made. We understand that. However, we take issue on such pronouncements: "Filipino is envisioned to be based on Tagalog. It is not Tagalog. It is a language adopting other words from Ilocano and other languages." There's nothing magical or surprising about that. It's the very essence of the evolution of language. However, Filipino is still Tagalog because it follows the grammatical, morphological, syntactical and even phonemical rules of Tagalog. To use this to rationalize the government's aggressive initiatives to foist it upon the entire populace--especially our young children--at the exclusion of their mother tongue, their regional language, is language genocide. And since language mirrors the culture of a people, it's ultimately cultural genocide.

So, please spare us the hocus-pocus. Call a spade a spade and stop fooling us.

Ala wen ditoy pay laeng, ta kas ken ariel, makapa-highblood.

Best,

Raymund

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 16:01:44: Insurat ni Joe Padre:

Dear Ariel and Raymund,

Under KWF Commissioner Ricardo Nolasco’s leadership, it appears there’s a shift away from the “isang bansa, isang wika” slogan of the Komisyong Sa Wikang Filipino. In an address at the opening of the “Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa 2006”, Nolasco tackled the issue: “Kung Bakit Isang Malaking Pakinabang Sa Pilipinas Ang Pagkakaroon Nito Ng Maraming Wika.” He declared that the 1970s slogan, “isang bansa, isang wika”, although it had a nice ring to it, actually was a dangerous concept. I hope that Nolasco was not simply playing to the crowd when he announced:

“...nangyayari lamang ang quality na edukasyon kapag ang learner ay nagsisimula sa pagsusulat at pagbabasa sa pamamagitan ng kanilang unang wika—ang wika ng kanilang tahanan at komunidad. Pinadadali ng unang wika ang kasanayan sa pagsulat at pagbasa at pinatatatag and pundasyon sa patuloy na pagkakatuto. Sa pamamagitan ng paggamit ng mga halimbawa na malapit sa kanilang karanasan at kultura ay nakakabuo ang estudyante ng mga konsepto at nagagamit nila ito para magbuo ng bagong mga konsepto. Ang pag-aaral ni Bernardo (1998) ay nagpapatunay na ang cognitive maturity at ang nagreresultang kritical na pag-iisip ay naisusulong sa pamamagitan ng paggamit ng lokal na wika sa elementarya. Nagsisilbing tulay ang lokal na wika upang bumulas ang kanilang kognitibong kakayahan at upang sistematikong matuto sila ng wikang Filipino at Ingles at ng bagong mga kaalaman sa naturang mga wika… Hindi ko na po kailangang sabihin sa inyo na kapag hindi po natin ginamit ang ating mga wika ay mamamatay po ito. Kapag nangyari ito ay napakaraming mahahalagang katawagan na pangkultura at pang-katutubong agham ang tuluyang maglalaho. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit kailangan natin itong patuloy na pag-aralan, saliksikin, panatiliin at ituro sa paaralan… Gusto ko pong imungkahi—kung inyong mamarapatin—na may higit na tumpak at angkop na islogan para sa Pilipinas, at ito ay: “isang bansa, maraming wika.”

Amen to that. Let’s hope Mr. Nolasco will work hard on the implementation of this beautiful concept, much of it having been validated by various UNESCO studies around the world. The sooner, the better.

You see, Raymund, we do have to start educating our children in Ilocano starting in grade school as pointed above by Dr. Nolasco. Else, if your theory that the exposure of the young to Ilocano as early as in the first grade is not sustainable and will just go to naught because of their exposure to Filipino and English at about the same time and because of the socio-economic pressures that would make them gravitate toward Filipino and English, if your theory proves to be right, then all the effort in the world to cajole them back to learn and/or use Ilocano at a later age such as at the university or tertiary level, in public or private functions will simply go to naught as well. What makes you think that further in the future, the people who are not exposed to Ilocano at a young age would have retained the skills to speak Ilocano in public or private because their parents were neither exposed to Ilocano when they were young? The traditional Ilocano family who speak Ilocano at home now will eventually disappear. Remember the Incas of South America? After their conquest by the Spaniards, the Incas and their traditions were brutally repressed by the Spanish rulers. The rest is history.

In Linguistic Legislation and Normalization Process: The Catalan Case in Spain,certain parameters, legal and otherwise, were set in the “normalization” of Catalan as the “official language” of Catalonia alongside Castillian as the official language of Spain. I agree that the entire process, especially the effort to erect safeguards to achieve equal “officiality” of Catalan and Castillian in the region makes for a good model that Dr. Ariel Agcaoili would find helpful in preparing the proposed resolution NAKEM plans to present to KWF Commissioner Ricardo Nolasco at the forthcoming NAKEM Conference in Batac, Ilocos Norte, a move to urge the commissioner to declare Ilocano as one of the country’s official languages.

Talk to you later, dudes.

Joe

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 16:57:48: Insurat ni Ariel Agcaoili:

Dear Joe,

Of the many uninformed commissioners--and chairs--of KWF, Ricky Nolasco has a solid scholarship on languages, cultures, and language engineering. He may yet be on our side. If he sees that we mean business with this RESISTANCE AND THAT WE ARE READY FOR THIS LINGUISTIC AND CULTURAL DANGADANG, SOMETHING GOOD MIGHT COME OUT/UP.

This has to stop and now. And this ignorance from among the ranks of Ilokanos has to be also exposed. Imagine the Inglisero Ilokanos who are no better than the dude next door? Good God! Awagantay dagiti amin nga anito!

Be well,

Ariel

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:09:55: Insurat ni Joe Padre:

Dear Ariel,

To tell you the truth, I was really impressed that Dr. Nolasco took the time to respond to my critique on his piece on ergativity. He was man enough to own up his errors. I wish I could tell him face to face that I admire his guts and intellectual honesty.

Hope he means what he says and says what he means in that speech at the Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa 2006. And that you and NAKEM would be able to ride him on our issues with the Ilocano language.

Joe

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:25:22: Insurat ni Ariel Agcaoili:

Aloha Joe,

Siinanamaak a kasta ti kalidad ti kararua ken kananakem ni Ricky.

Nabaknang met ti padasna iti kultural a dangadang iti pagilian ket ammok a no datayo a mismo ti mangirukit manen ken manen kenkuana kadagitoy moral ken nainnakeman nga obligasion, di bumurong a makitana met dagiti sukog ken maris ken langa dagiti an-anek-ekentayo amin ita. Ania a basol ti panagliwat ket kinaang-ang no ditay aggaraw!

Ita, masapul nga atong ken beggang ken alipatotayo amin ita iti maysa ken maysa tapno nabunga ti pagbanagan daytoy a Tignay.

Be well,

Ariel

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 23:27:48: Insurat ni Raymund Addun:

Joe a patgen,

You see, Raymund, we do have to start educating our children in Ilocano starting in grade school as pointed above by Dr. Nolasco.

Yes indeed, as I was saying. But more than that, the children should also use Ilocano to learn all subjects in all grade levels as well as in college.

Else, if your theory that the exposure of the young to Ilocano as early as in the first grade is not sustainable and will just go to naught because of their exposure to Filipino and English at about the same time and because of the socio-economic pressures that would make them gravitate toward Filipino and English, if your theory proves to be right, then all the effort in the world to cajole them back to learn and/or use Ilocano at a later age such as at the university or tertiary level, in public or private functions will simply go to naught as well.

I believe that without a general policy for the normalization of Ilocano, without a formal declaration that Ilocano is the official language in the Ilocano regions, without its use in the media, in the streets (as in street signs and billboards), in local government communication, the children will always gravitate towards Tagalog and English outside the Ilocano classroom. As it is now, although children are exposed to their native tongue 24 hours a day, Ilocano remains "unintellectualized" in the sense that no technical books are written in Ilocano. And that's because there is no market demand for such. That demand will come from officialization of the language. If you ask me, the day I see a book on microbiology or astrophysics written in Ilocano in print and used in schools will be my happiest day.

In Carmen, Rosales (Pangasinan) or even in Union, there are signs saying "Bawal ang umihi dito" instead of "Maiparit ti umisbo ditoy". When children are asked to read Ilocano text, they not only find themselves puzzled by the exact meaning of their "own" words, but worst, AGBIDDABIDDALDA nga agbasa. The reason is their insufficient exposure to the language in the literary and scientific milieu. If you ask them to read in English or Tagalog, AY, NAGALISTODA. Nakaskasdaang daytoy nga epekto ti language policy ti gobierno.

I once asked an Ilocano UP graduate why it was that in the Jollibee or McDonalds restaurants at Plaza Salcedo in Vigan the food crew spoke in Tagalog. She said, and I could sense she was insincere with her answer, that, well there was a government promotion for Vigan as a tourist destination and for that they should speak Tagalog there. Well, I said, in all the non-English or non-Spanish European countries I've been to, I've never found any establishment in which the help catered to me by speaking in either one of the languages I speak (English, Spanish). Let's bow to the ignorance of many Ilocanos Ariel is lamenting about.

Anyway, my point is by all means let's start using Ilocano as the medium of instruction in the classroom, but let's not stop there. Simultaneously, let's make Ilocano the language of general use in all aspects of Ilocano life: government, arts, sciences, media.

Ala, ditoy pay laeng.

Raymund

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:27:24: Insurat ni Joe Padre:

Patgec a Raymund ken Ariel,

Kinapudnona, umannamongac cadagiti amin a pamanunotan ni Raymund maipapan iti panagdur-as ti Ilocano.

Isuna laeng nga adda giddiat ti mabalin nga aramidentayo iti uneg dagiti agdama a paglintegan a maidasig iti masapul tayo nga aramiden ngem masapul ti baro a paglintegan.

Ayanna a pagdacsan ket uray man pay casano ti kinasayaat ti arapaapentay nga aramiden no awan met paglintegan a mangipalubos iti calicagumantay nga aramiden.

Agsipud ta napadasan idin (1999/2000) ti panangusar iti Tagalog, Ilocano ken Cebuano a pangisuro iti Grades I ken II babaen ti macuna a Regional Lingua Franca experimental program, nalabit dacdackel ti gundaway tayo a macagun-od iti panangirusat/panangbiag manen iti daytoy babaen ti liderato ni Apo Ricardo Nolasco. Ti dackel a biddut daydi immuna nga experimento ti Regional Lingua Franca program ket isu ti panangipalubos iti tallo laeng a pagsasao (Tagalog, Ilocano ken Cebuano) nga aramaten a medium of instruction (MOI). Adda dagiti regions (Western Visayas, Central and Southern Mindanao and Caraga) a saan a Tagalog, Ilocano wenno Cebuano ti pagsasao da ket capilitan a Tagalog ti pinili da numan pay saan a Tagalog ti pagsasao da (duh!).

Adda ken Ariel ken ti NAKEM ti naisangsangayan a gundaway a makiuman ken ni Apo Nolasco tapno iti casta, mairaman dagiti dadduma a major regional languages ken no ania a grado dagiti ubbing ti rumbeng a sursuruan babaen ti bucod da a regional language. No siac a maysa, uray irugi iti entero nga elementaria ngem ketdi ilaem a sursuruen ti Ingles ken Filipino cas pagsasao laeng imbes nga MOI. Nagsayaat coman no aglaylayon nga aramaten dagiti regional languages cas MOI iti high school. Ngem no di ipalubos dayta, rebbengna a cadagiti Ilocano regions maituloy a sursuruen ti Ilocano cas pagsasao ken tapno mausig ti Literatura Ilocana iti high school manipud primeraño agingga iti cuartoaño.

No diac mariro, tumulong sa met ti Mariano Marcos State University cadagiti pacasecnan ti NAKEM. Bareng ti panagtinnulong dagitoy ti agbunga iti casapulan a curriculum/course content, teacher training, assessment tools ken dadduma pay a casapulan ti panangpatanor iti Ilocano cas MOI iti elementaria, ken casta pay ti aglaylayon coma a pannacaisuro ti Ilocano cas pagsasao ken Ilocano literature iti high school. Dagitoy ti nangpapigsa iti pakinakemco a nangisingasing iti maysa a website a sangalen nga electronic archive ti amin a mabalin nga ilaem a Literatura Ilocana (sarita, novela, daniw, comics, salaysay, oral/folklore, folksongs, children's literature) a naimaldit cadagiti amin a pagiwarnac/periodico iti Ilocano (cangrunaan ti Bannawag) ken dadduma pay a resources (dictionary, grammar, course content, how-to/self-help materials, etc.) cas maimatangan iti temporario nga Ilocano Online (ilocano-online.com) tapno iti casta adda sisasagana a referencia wenno pakidinnamagan 24/7 dagiti estudiante nga Ilocano.

Tangay ipalubos met ti Sec. 7, Art. 14 ti 1987 Constitution ti panangaramat iti regional languages cas official language, mabalin masapul nga ipalagip daytoy cadagiti agturay.

Nanumo laeng a pamanunotan, cacabsat.

Joe

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 01:11:16: Insurat ni Raymond Addun:

"Ti saanna ammo ti agayat ti bukodna a pagsasao, nabangbangsit pay ngem ti nalaes nga ican." -- Jose Rizal

Ne, mayat sa dayta a tema para ti marugian a language revolution inton NAKEM.

Wen, Joe, ti kaagpaysuanna, political ken policy struggle daytoy tignay tayo. Pudno a kasapulan ti constitutional amendments to give a level playing field for all the languages to develop.

For this struggle, we need all tactics, strategies and resources as we could muster.

For the grassroots approach, we need a Media Campaign in regions, for example. For this we need an organization, which I hope the Nakem NGO will spearhead.

Under serious threat of Tagalization is Baguio. According to recent census results, the number of Ilocanos there has declined. Ilocanos comprise 44 percent, Tagalog migrants swelled to 20 percent and the Pangasinenses and our Cordilleran brothers account for the rest. What's more worrisome is that the Tagalog migrants no longer have to learn Ilocano as they did in the past. Instead their language is fast spreading as the lingua franca of the city. A minority and imported language becomes a lingua franca. This could only be possible in a situation where the "outside" support from the media, schools and government is overwhelming.

It is for this phenomenon in many Ilocano cities that the revolution should start now. Enap is Enap.

Dumayaw,

Raymund

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:48:32: Insurat ni Joe Padre:

Patgec a Raymund ken Ariel,

"Ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika ay daig pa ang isang mabaho at malansang isda." Ti dina ammo nga ayaten ti bucodna a pagsasao ket nacarcaro pay ngem ti maysa a nabangsit ken nalaes nga ican. Napintas ti awengna. Isuna laeng a pagdacsan ket ipagarup sa met dagiti Tagalog a ti Tagalog mismo, awan sabali, ti cayat a sawen ti "sariling wika"...

Napintas ti insingasingmo a Media Campaign, Raymund. Ngem ladingitec nga iparicna kenca ti panagduaduac iti dayta a gacat. Ta iti pammaliiwco a bunga dagiti padpadas ken napaspasamac iti napalabas, dackel ti probabilidad dayta nga agbalin a Media Circus--cas iti mapaspasamac iti GUMIL ken TMI--ti panagduyosda cadagiti photo-ops, dagiti socials cas ti induction of officers, ken dagiti maipabpablaac a panagsisinnupiatda (siripen ti Dap-ayan ti iluko.com) a caadduanna ket personality-oriented, imbes a substantive issues maipapan iti Ilocano.

We urgently need a Political Action Committee (PAC) to work in the background like the PACs effectively do here in the United States. No flash bulbs, just plain hard, dedicated work and the skills--plenty of it--to influence/manipulate people, mostly politicians. The PACs in the US are effective because they do their grassroots research to gauge the mood of constituents, and they operate mostly in the corridors of power such as in the White House, in Congress, in the state legislatures, etc. By all conceivable means, they learn each politician's hot buttons, and they know just when to push those buttons. They get results--good or bad--most of the time.

Masapul tayo nga Ilocano ti bucod tay a PAC--ket idawdawatco a saan coma a malipatan ni Ariel ken ti NAKEM daytoy--casapulan ti PAC a familiar cadagiti issues nga Ilocano, ti panangparang-ay ken panangsalacnib iti pagsasao tayo. Casta met nga ipasingked nga ammo daytoy Ilocano PAC dagiti pasicutsicut ti Malacañang, ti Congress, dagiti provincial legislatures, ti Department of Education (DepEd), ti Commission on Higher Education (CHED), ti Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), kdpy. Ti DepEd, CHED, ken TESDA ti nadutocan nga implementing agencies ti Exec. Order #210 ni Presidente Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Maawatac, Ariel, no apay a saan a nairaman ti Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) cadagitoy implementing agencies ti Exec. Order #210. Ngem diac cayat a sawen a saan tay nga ipatuloy ti dialogue tayo iti KWF, nangruna iti babaen ti liderato ni Dr. Ricardo Nolasco agsipud ta patiec nga isu ti macaawat cadagiti pacasecnan dagiti regional languages, cas maaninag iti insingasingna nga slogan: "Isang bansa, maraming wika."

Bottomline is we need a patron or patrons (like the prestigious and influential literary contest sponsors such as the Carlos Palanca Awards, RFAAFL, etc., and, well, the "other" emerging/proliferating literary contest sponsors) with deep pockets and unconditional support from GUMIL, TMI and NAKEM to breathe life into the Ilocano PAC. To take care of the "what's-in-it-for-me" thing, we'll have to assure those potential supporters that they are the direct beneficiaries of the envisioned Ilocano PAC without which there will be no Ilocano writers in the future to write literature from which to choose those worth awarding prizes to unless something is done NOW.

And we need a PAC that demands integrity among its ranks, a cohesive group that understands the concepts of organization (dissent on the substantive issues is great--but no personal intramurals in public, please!), work flow, funding, brainstorming, analysis, prioritizing, stragetizing, policy formulation and implementation, assessment and follow-through. This PAC has to have a thorough understanding of the legislative process, the courts, the exercise of executive power, etc. In short, an understanding of human nature to get the job done. Anything less is bound to fail.

GMA's Exec. Order #210 (2003) is Unconstitutional

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 11:02:00 +0000

Rebbengna a paulo: Multa: Saan a Rabrabac No Isawang Iti Ilocano

Idi Abril 8, 2007, nagsuratac cadagiti gagayyem nga ibilangco a teddec ti comunidad dagiti Ilocano:

I came across a forum thread (dap-ayan) at iluko.com which claims that students in Ilocandia are being fined five pesos apiece when they're caught talking in their native Ilocano in school. Is this true? If it is, it's sad.

What authority or law or order, may I ask, is used to justify the fines? I have a hunch they're using Presidential Executive Order # 210 of May 17, 2003, as implemented by DepEd Memo. #189 of June 2003 and DepEd Order #36 of Aug. 22, 2006, which provides that:

English shall be taught as a second language starting with Grade I;
As provided for in the 2002 Basic Education Curriculum, English shall be used as the medium of instruction for English, Mathematics and Science and Health starting Grade III; and
The English language shall be used as the primary medium of instruction in all public and private schools in the secondary level, including those established as laboratory and/or experimental schools, and vocational/technical institutions. As the primary medium of instruction, the percentage of time allotment for learning areas (English, Science, Mathematics, Technology & Livelihood Education, Music, Arts, PE & Health and Citizenship Advancement Training) conducted in English language should not be less than 70% of the total time allotment for all learning areas in all year levels.

Filipino is to be used as the medium of instruction in the remaining 30% which includes Filipino, Araling Panlipunan & Edukasyon sa Pagpapahalaga.

Of course you and I know that these implementing orders are in violation of Section 7 of Article 14 of the 1987 Constitution which provides, among other things, that "The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction therein."

Any insight into this?

Here are some of the responses I got:

Sun, 8 Apr 2007 16:13:22: Sungbat ni Aurelio S. Agcaoili, Professor ti the University of Hawaii at Manoa ken coordinator ti NAKEM Conference:

So many of us are pissed off by this ignorance about education, culture, and language. Right now, there is a campaign that we are initiating to force KWF/DECS/CHED and other uninformed sectors of government to declare the first eight major languages as national languages. This continuing tagalogization and Englishization of our consciousness is unconscionable.

Enough olredi, kunada ditoy Honolulu. And we will rally behind this campaign. Let us start with Ilokano, but not at the expense of the other languages.

I am not so sure of the basis of such an order from the Deped--and let me ask around.

In the meantime, we have a brilliant mind in Raymund Addun and I hope we will get to exchange ideas more and more. Ray is in Spain for scholarship but I understand he is also pissed off.

Being pissed off is one clear epistemological frame that teaches us action. We can only pray for guidance and grace now even as we say that we cannot just sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

Sun, 8 Apr 2007 18:42:46: Sungbat ni Jimmy M. Agpalo, Jr., Editor, Tawid News Magasin:

Dinekadan ti napalabas sipud idi, amami ida...

Idi siak ti hayskul nasuroken a duapulo a tawen ti napalabas, piso ti bayad... binting pay laeng ti pasahe ti traysikel idi...

Diak ammo no ania ti turongen daytoy a konsepto... idinto a naglawagan a ti kalakaan a panangilawlawag iti leksion ket ti bukod a dila...

Makabannog pay ketdin daytoy a diskusion....

Sun, 8 Apr 2007 21:54:50: Sungbat ni Djuna Alcantara, President-GUMIL La Union ken Secretary-General, GUMIL Filipinas:

This is indeed a touchy issue, especially for DepEd people. That's why we invited people from the academe to share with us their insights during one of our fora at the GF Convention (although no specific time for this). We will update you on this, soon.

Mon, 9 Apr 2007 03:09:25: Sungbat ni Joel B. Manuel, premiado a mannurat ken mangisuro iti Banna High School, Banna, Ilocos Norte:

I think it is the bigotry behind all of these which should be erased among the teachers themselves. Based on my gleanings, teachers impose such fine for speaking in the vernacular mainly to have a more disciplined studentry. That may be the case, this is administering aspirin to cure a stomach ache, isn't it?

Those statutes, decreed by the powers who were, powers who are, and the powers that be are intent of erasing cultures and ushering in a hegemony in which our culture will be marginalized. If we look at the case of English being in statute as the official language in all of the United Kingdom, it brought about the marginalization of the Gaelic, the Welsh and other minority languages there. Now, it is these peoples who are taking steps of their own to preserve their language. Quite late but not too late it seems.

We are sorry that we are a nation whose economy is based on the export of our labor, and to be able to export our labor, we must be proficient in the universal language which is English. A sorry state.

But that should not be the reason why we impose those fines, those are baseless and even the mandate of a president should not suppress the rights of a people. Ah, I am powerless, but perhaps it is high time that the GUMIL Filipinas should have a party-list arm, something called Samtoy Party List to tackle on these issues politically. Any comment, manong?

Mon, 9 Apr 2007 04:20:22: Sungbat ni Rolando A. Padre, medical doctor a maysa cadagiti napeclan a nangicalicagum iti computer/Internet project iti public elementary ken secondary schools diay Banban, Bangui, Ilocos Norte:

A long, long time ago, back in elementary school, we also had similar fines imposed. But these fines were in specific classes where probably mastery of the English language or Pilipino was the prime goal. It was not a fine that covered all the times you are in school. One example is during the Pilipino week.

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 08:47:47: Sungbat ni Roy V. Aragon, premiado a mannurat, blogger ken creator ti dadapilan.com:

mang joe, happy easter, belated...

Agpayso daytoy, Manong Joe. Nabayagen. Idi nagbasaak iti grade school, praktis daytoyen iti eskuelaanmi. Ngem saan a sigud nga ar-aramidenda daytoy a panangirurumen iti Iloko. 1975 idi agbasaak iti grade one ket naabotak pay laeng dagiti sumagmamano a textbook a naisurat iti Iloko. Wen, Iloko dagitoy a libro iti grade one! Ngem idi kuan, katengngaan sa ti panagbasak iti grade 1 idi 1975, nasuktan amin a textbook nga Iloko a maar-aramat iti kabarbaro a textbooks a Tagalog ken English. Isu dagitoy dagitay "Bagong Lipunan" wenno "New Society" textbooks a tunggal libro, iti udina ket naipan pay ti lyrics ti Bagong Lipunan hymn a sinursuromi a kantaen. Ket isu daytan, naibelleng aminen a textbooks nga Iloko ket naisukat dagitoy a bagong lipunan textbooks a kaaduanna a Tagalog. Ngem saanda pay idi nga istrikto kadagiti agsao iti Iloko iti klase. Kinapudnona dagidi teachersmi idi Iloko ti pagisuroda ket isut' gapuna a nalakami a maawatan ken mabiitkami a makasursuro. Ngem idi kuan, idi addaakon iti grade 3, 1977-1978, rugianda metten nga ipapilit ti panagsao iti Tagalog wenno English ket adda multa ti agsao iti Iloko. No diak agriro, 1 sentimo ti kada balikas ti sawem iti Iloko ti multam. Isu a naulimekkami idi aminen no addakam iti uneg ti klase. Adda tudingan ti teacher a paratiliw iti agsao iti Iloko, ilistana ti naganmo ken bilangenna no mano a balikas ti insaom ket isunto ti masingir kenka.

Isu a maysa a tuduek a culprit ti New Society daydi Apo Marcos. Isu ti nangrugianna daytoy a kina-estupido iti kailokuan. Ilokano pay met ngarud ni Marcos ngem apay a pimalubosanna idi ti kastoy a panangidadanes iti bukodna a pagsasao. Maysa siguro kadagiti programa ti Bagong Lipunan idi ti pannakaipakat ti Tagalog kas national language (awan ti sukisokko maipapan itoy, base lang iti padpadasko a nagelementaria daytoy) uray iti kailokuan.

Makunak a kastoy, nga iti panawen ti martial law wenno so-called New Society a nangrugi daytoy, ta sakbayna idi 1960s, awan met ti Tagalog textbooks a kas iti Bagong Lipunan textbooks a naar-aramat. Idi nagbasa ni manongko iti elementaria idi 1963-1968, Iloko dagidi inus-usarda a libroda a kadua dagiti English textbooks. Makunak daytoy ta addada idi nabatbati kadagitoy nga Iloko textbooks nga inar-aramat ni manongko ken inaramatko pay idi siak ti ag-grade 1.

Isu a saan la nga itatta daytoy a kinaranggas iti pagsasao nga Iloko kadagiti pagadalan iti kailokuan. Agtultuloy daytoy a pannakaidadanes ket nakalkaldaang a talaga ta ti govierno a mismo ti mangipakpakat.

Regards,

Roy

Wed, 11 Apr 2007 00:04:32: Sungbat ni Jessie Grace U. Rubrico, language consultant (a Ph. D. in Philippine linguistics at UP, Diliman), website at languagelinks.org:

Hi Joe,

The SOLFED--Saving Our Languages through FEDeralism--is lobbying for the deletion of the word "auxilliary" in Sec 7 Art 14 of the 1987 Constitution.

Jessie

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 20:20:44: Sungbat ni Joseph Soriano, mannurat:

It's likely that they're still imposing fines for Iloco-speak at the schools (elem and high school). There's no law, but there's usually the principal or teacher or teacher's pet who thinks English (Tagalog-Filipino doesn't have that certain colonial cache) can only be practiced by such draconian (not to mention stupid) measures.

What they don't realize is that with their authoritarian measures tied to the use of English, they reinforce the perception among kids that English is elitist and therefore not for them Which actually is the reason these kids get racked with a sense of inferiority or rebellion. Result: some don't speak English in casual situations. (When you speak bad English, you're thought to be stupid, and you get laughed at. Hehehe, tell that to Salman Rushdie!)

In "Language planning in multilingual countries: The case of the Philippines ", the late Andrew Gonzalez wrote:

The bilingual education policy of 1974 divided the curriculum into a Filipino domain (Filipino Language and Social Studies) and an English domain (English Language, Mathematics, Science) with the vernaculars as ‘auxiliary media of instruction’. In actual implementation, the vernaculars were used only during the first few weeks of schooling. Instruction using Filipino and English began soon thereafter. During the incumbency of Andrew Gonzalez as Secretary of Education under the Estrada Administration, an attempt was made to revive vernacular teaching through the use of the three major local linguae francae of the Philippines (Ilokano, Cebuano, Tagalog) as media of instruction until Grade 3 and in English thereafter, under the bilingual scheme. The pilot program was conceptualized with the help of specialists in literacy from the Summer Institute of Linguistics. The initial feedback from the pilot schools set up was overwhelmingly positive (the pupils were active, not passive; they asked questions spontaneously instead of answering in monosyllables and phrases in a language they hardly understood, conceptualization especially in mathematics took place almost from the first day of school). Initially, under Undersecretary Isagani Cruz during the Macapagal-Arroyo Administration, the reports from the field were so positive that Undersecretary Cruz mandated the pilot experiment to end and to use the three local linguae francae as initial languages of instruction during the first two years in the entire system. However, policy differences with his superior moved the Undersecretary to resign and the pilot program itself has suffered from ‘benign neglect’.

The problem, therefore, is not for lack of trying to use the regional languages as ‘auxiliary media of instruction’ and concluding that this was good for the students. The problem is President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's Executive Order No. 210 of May 17, 2003, which is UNCONSTITUTIONAL for EXCLUDING the rest of Sec. 7, Art. 14 of the 1987 Constitution which provides that "The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction therein."

Was there ever a constitutional challenge to GMA's Executive Order #210?

I thought the challenge should come properly from the Ilocanos, Cebuanos, etc. Those of us who are engaged in the propagation of the regional languages have the responsibility of keeping the issue alive even after the appropriate action to redress the dire effects of Executive Order #210 is taken. This reminds me of what John Stuart Mill once said:

"A people may prefer a free government, but if, from indolence, or carelessness, or cowardice, or want of public spirit, they are unequal to the exertions necessary for preserving it; if they will not fight for it when it is directly attacked; if they can be deluded by the artifices used to cheat them out of it; if by momentary discouragement, or temporary panic, or a fit of enthusiasm for an individual, they can be induced to lay their liberties at the feet even of a great man, or trust him with powers which enable him to subvert their institutions; in all these cases they are more or less unfit for liberty: and though it may be for their good to have had it even for a short time, they are unlikely long to enjoy it."

I believe that eternal vigilance is required and there have to be people who step up to the plate, who believe that Ilocano should be in the educational agenda as the initial medium of instruction at least in the primary and/or secondary schools where Ilocano is spoken by the majority, and there have to be people who are willing to fight for it.

I have made my sentiments on the issue known as best I could and will continue to do so. I urge you to do the same.

Nationalism vs. Colonial Mentality

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 23:18:00 +0000

You would not think about it or look at it twice, but the innocuous-looking sentence below contains all the 28 letters of the Ilocano alphabet (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, Ñ, NG, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z) I'm proposing:

Inawisco ni Luzviminda, ti gayyemco nga anac ti juez ti ciudad ti Parañaque ken padac nga agente ti BIR, nga aglugan cami laengen iti jeep, imbes a taxi, a mapan maki-fiesta diay Hagunoy, Bulacan.

Very ornery, everyday kind of statement that a regular person would make. It also illustrates how c, g, and j may be used, e.g., cami/ciudad, gayyemco/agente, jeep/juez.

The reasoning that the 20-letter Tagalog ABAKADA is popular with the younger generation, or most people who write or make an attempt at writing simply because the ABAKADA is easier to use than the 28-letter alphabet is quite difficult to believe. It just can't be because the ABAKADA is inadequate to represent all the various phonemes occurring in Ilocano. Stop and just look for a moment at these young ones—Ilocano writers or not—who, upon the birth of their own children, head straight to the local civil registrar with such baby names as Marivic, Monique, Alexis, Phillip, John, Olivia, Sheila, Divina, Vilma, Cecilia, Evangelina, Victoria, Alfonso, Araceli, Felix, Estrella, etc.--not to mention their Spanish surnames! Their imaginative/creative choices of names exhaust the entire 28-letter alphabet, rendering the 20-letter Tagalog ABAKADA a thing for the birds or as if it didn't even exist. Which leads me to suspect that the effort to foist what I call the orthographically challenged 20-letter ABAKADA to the younger generation is a concerted effort among Ilocano writers and publishers to dumb down the alphabet on the unflattering assumption that the intelligence of the Ilocano reader is more suited to a less complex alphabet. I sincerely believe our Ilocano readers are smarter than that. Else, are we to concede that the people of most of South America who have chosen to use the 27-letter Spanish alphabet (same as the 28-letter alphabet except it does not include ng) are smarter and more sophisticated than Ilocanos orthographically?

The "nationalistic" premise is a contradiction in terms, writes Nathan Gilbert Quimpo. No apay "nationalistic" da cano dagidiay mangipapilit nga agusar iti 20-letter Tagalog ABAKADA ket ipapanda a "colonial mentality" ti panangusar iti English/Spanish Alphabet. Insurat ni Quimpo:

Among the peoples of Asia and Africa, the nationalism that emerged and developed in the late nineteenth century and in most of the twentieth was a specifically anti–colonial form of nationalism, as the experience of colonial rule helped to create a “national consciousness” and a desire for “independence” or “national liberation”. To make themselves a free nation, a people had to break the shackles of colonialism. “Nationalism,” declared Claro M. Recto, possibly the Philippines’ foremost nationalist statesman, “is the natural antagonist of colonialism.”

Ngem siasino ti agincucuna nga awan tugot ti colonial mentality kencuana? No Filipino-ac wenno taga-Filipinasac, cunam, colonial mentality dayta (naggapu dagita a nagan iti King Phillip wenno Felipe, malagipmo a Felipinas ti nagan ti Filipinas idi un-unana?). No Apo Dios cunam, colonial mentality dayta nga impatawid dagiti Castila. No mapan ca diay simbaan, colonial mentality dayta gapu ta ugali iti religion nga insuro dagiti Castila dayta.

Usigem ti pannacailetra ta nagan ken apellidom--caaduanna nagan a Castila dayta. No aglutoca iti adobo wenno rellenong bangus, luto a Castila dayta. No bugcawam dayta aso iti "Salaki", naggapu iti Castila a “sal de aquí” dayta. No mangurcurosca ket cunaem, "Susmariosep", Jesus, Maria y Jose dayta a parte ti Cristianismo nga impatawid dagiti Castila. No "siet" cunam, isu dayta ti "shit" iti Ingles. No “carajo” cunam, Castila ti “shit” dayta. Torpe cunam? Castila dayda. Puta, cunam? Castila dayta. Puñeta? Castila dayta. Leche? Castila pay dayta. Arreglado? Arreglado a Castila dayta. Tunggal adda cayat tayo a sawen, masansan a ditay pay madlawen nga adda naigamer a Castila wenno Ingles cadagiti balicas nga aramaten tayo.

Casano nga ugasen ti naagseptayo a colonial mentality--bunga ti panangsacup ti España, Estados Unidos ken Japon cadatayo iti uneg ti nasuroc a tallo gasut a tawen? Agsubli tay iti panagbiag a kina-tribo ken kinapagano cas nadescubri dagiti Castila idi 1521, idi saan tay pay a maysa a nacion a Filipinas? Minamauyong ken imposible dayta. Tay cunacon, ar-arapaap wenno panangluco ken panangcusit laeng iti bagi ti panangipapilit a panangusar iti 20-letter Tagalog ABAKADA. Agsipud ta cas naipakita cadagiti ejemplos iti ngato, mausar tay amin ti 28 a letra ti alphabet a pangirepresenta cadagiti balicas iti inaldaw-aldaw a panagsasarita tayo.

Ti panangaclon iti mancha ti colonial mentality, imbes a ti panagtukkiad iti daytoy, ti pacaispalantayo. Ta imbes nga ipabasol dagiti natawid a parparicuttayo cadagiti Castila, Americano, wenno Japon a nangsacup idi iti Filipinas, sarangten, usigen ken risutentay coma dagitoy cas maysa a nacion nga addaan iti kired, naan-annay a kinatibker ken kinapalanguad.

No Apay a ti 28 a Letra Para iti Alfabeto Ilocano

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:59:00 +0000

No ibilang ti literatura a sarming ti biag ti maysa a puli, cas rebbengna, nalabit mabalin a cunaen a saan a nasin-aw ti sarming ni Ilocano agsipud iti agtultuloy a panagtukkiad dagiti Ilocano a mannurat ken agipabpablaac cadagiti Ilocano a pagiwarnac, periodico ken dadduma pay a publication outlet iti panangusar ti completo nga alfabeto (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, Ñ, NG, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z) a kinaagpaysona ket maar-aramat iti inaldaw a pagsasao—iti television, iti radio, cadagiti escuela, cadagiti pagtutungtungan cas public meetings ken ti election campaign, cadagiti padaya ken uray pay iti ordinario a panagpapatang iti uneg ti balay wenno iti trabajo. Cas pagarigan, naaramat amin dagiti 28 a letra iti sumaganad:

Inawisco ni Luzviminda, ti gayyemco nga anac ti juez ti ciudad ti Parañaque ken padac nga agente ti BIR, nga aglugan cami laengen iti jeep, imbes a taxi, a mapan maki-fiesta diay Hagunoy, Bulacan.

Nanipud pay idi nacasursuro tayo nga agsao iti sabsabali a pagsasao, cas iti Filipino, Ingles ken Español, naisungsungtay met nga agusar iti macuna a code-switching, maysa a termino (iti linguistics) a cayatna a sawen isu ti panagsisinublat ti dua wenno nasursuroc a dua a lenguaje, dialecto wenno language registers (nadumaduma a cayat a sawen ti maysa a balicas, cas pagarigan liblibro [books] ken ni accountant ken liblibro [tripe] ken ni veterinario) iti maysa a discurso wenno panagsasarita dagiti tao a macaawat iti nadumaduma a lenguaje/dialecto nga usarenda iti code-switching. Cas pagarigan: “Nacompletemo daytay homeworkmo on cement iti sciencesen, Celia?” Iti panangipapilit dagiti mannurattayo nga Ilocano iti panangusar iti letra C cadagiti proper nouns (nagan ti tao [Camila, Celia], lugar [Caloocan, Lucena]), ngem k cadagiti ordinario a balicas (siak, sika), madlaw ngata met ti estudiante ti panagririnnupir dagiti pagannuruton iti panangusar iti letra c.

No mabalin nga usaren ti c /k/ cas iti complete, di ket mabalin ti siac ken sica? Nalawag nga ammotayo a sangapada ti balicas nga Ilocano, ngem apay nga ipapilit dagiti Ilocano a mannurat nga Ilokano ti rebbengna a panangiletra iti daytoy? No mabalin nga aramaten ti c /s/ cas iti cement, apay nga ipapilit nga ipaletra daytoy cas semento, imbes a cemento, iti Ilocano? Di ket nalaclaca a maawatan ti cayat a sawen no usaren ti “Nag-cough (naguyec) iti uray la a nacais-isbo ni Cornelio,” imbes a “Nagkap iti uray la a nacais-isbo ni Cornelio”?

Dagiti ejemplos a nadacamat iti poste a "Pagannurotan ti Alfabeto Ilocano" iti baba ti mangipakita a masapul tay amin a 28 letras ti alphabet nga insingsing ditoy a pangirepresenta cadagiti phonemes iti Ilocano agraman dagiti phonemes a mausar cadagiti buloden a balicas manipud cadagiti sabsabali a pagsasao iti Filipinas ken casta met cadagiti ganggannaet a pagsasao, cangrunaan ti Ingles ken Español.

Maysa coma daytoy a pagpampanunotan dagiti mannurattayo nga Ilocano a no ibilangtay ti putarenda a literatura a sarming ti biag ni Ilocano, masapul nga usarenda ti 28 a letra ti alfabeto (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, Ñ, NG, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z), a pangirepresenta iti pannacayebcas dagiti amin a phoneme (pannacairepresenta ti aweng wenno ayug dagiti balicas) cadagiti pagsasao nga us-usarentay nga Ilocano iti inaldaw. Macaitawtaw laeng ti panangikeddeng nga usaren ti 20-letra a Tagalog ABAKADA cadagiti ordinario a balicas (common words) iti Ilocano idinto nga ikeddengda nga usaren ti 28 a letra cadagiti proper nouns (nagan ti tao, lugar) laeng, agsipud ta iti bangir daytoy, ti kinapudnona ket ar-aramaten ni Ilocano iti inaldaw ti 28-letter alphabet—saan a ti 20-letter Tagalog ABAKADA—cadagiti ordinario a balicas ken proper nouns.

Patademem ta panagdengngegmo, Ilocano a mannurat, cadagiti uray cadawyan ken inaldaw a panagsasaritatayo iti Ilocano tapno maalingag ket mabigbigmo a naimbag ti realidad a saan tayo a balud ti Tagalog ABAKADA.

Pagannurotan ti Alfabeto Ilocano

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 15:06:00 +0000

Segun ti Dept. Order No. 81, s. 1987, ti Department of Education, Culture and Sports, nainayon ti 8 a letra, C, F, J, Ñ, Q, V, X, Z, iti 20 letra ti dati nga ABAKADA, A, B, K, D, E, G, H, I, L, M, N, NG, O, P, R, S, T, U, W, Y, ket ti dagup 28 a letra ti mangbukel iti Alfabeto Filipino ti nailian a pagsasao. Isu mismo dagitoy 28 a letra, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, Ñ, NG, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z, ti mangbukel iti Alfabeto Ilocano:

1. Letra A a – Aramaten ti letra A cas iti chärt ti Ingles.

a) Aramaten ti letra a cas iti ina, apuy, saan, Manila, Maria.

b) Aramaten ti a cas umuna a vowel ti diphthong cas iti ai (paraiso, Zenaida), ao (siopao, Davao, Agarpao), au (auto, autoridad, Aurelio)

c) Saan nga ibilang a diphthong no di ket dua a syllables dagiti sumaganad: ae (saem > sa-em, Micaela > Mi-ca-e-la), ai (bain > ba-in, maiz > ma-iz, Cain > Ca-in), ao (sao > sa-o, Dadaor > Da-da-or)), au (baul > ba-ul, Mauro > Ma-u-ro)

2. Letra B b – Aramaten ti letra B cas iti b ti boy ti Ingles, wenno cas iti babai, agrucbab, Batac, Belinda, Roberto, Bob.

3. Letra C c – Aramaten ti letra C ket balicsen cas iti c = k cas iti can (balicsen ken) wenno c = s cas iti cell (balicsen sel) ti Ingles.

a) Aramaten ti c = k iti sango ti “a” cas iti cacananacac (my relatives), Calamba, Macario.

b) Aramaten ti c = k iti sango ti “o” cas iti coma, saco, Cotabato, Francisco.

c) Aramaten ti c = k iti sango ti “u” cas iti cusiten, macuna, Currimao, Acuña, wenno

d) Aramaten ti c = k iti ungto ti balicas cas iti mapanac, ulimec, tapoc, ipaasuc, Marivic, Taruc, Tarlac, Sampaloc.

e) Aramaten ti c = s iti sango ti “e” cadagiti dayo a balicas a ti c mismo ket balicsen nga s cas iti cemento (cement), decente (decent or proper), maceta (flowerpot), cepilio (brush), wenno proper names cas Cebu wenno Cecilia.

f) Aramaten ti c = s iti sango ti “i” cadagiti dayo a balicas a ti c mismo ket balicsen nga s cas iti cigarilio, tocino, nacional, pancit (Chinese noodle), wenno proper names cas iti Mendocino, Lucita, Cimatu.

g) Aramaten ti c iti sango ti h (digraph ch = ts) cadagiti dayo a balicas cas iti cha-cha, pochero, chinita, chorizo, wenno proper names cas Marichu, Pacheco.

4. Letra D d – Aramaten ti letra D cas iti dental ti Ingles, wenno cas iti dila, nadaeg, ngarud, Dumaguete, Dante, Rodrigo.

5. Letra E e – Aramaten ti letra E cas iti bed (cama) ti Ingles

a) Aramaten ti e cas iti essem, Paete, Elena.

b) Aramaten ti e cas umuna a vowel ti diphthong cas pagarigan ea (Matea), ei (reina, geisha, Ferreira), eo (tropeo, Simeon).

c) Saan nga ibilang a diphthong no di ket dua a syllables dagiti sumaganad: ea (teatro > te-a-tro), ei (seiz > se-iz)

6. Letra F f – Aramaten ti letra F cas iti fence ti Ingles, wenno fiesta, jefe, Filipinas, Felipe.

7. Letra G g – Aramaten ti letra G cas iti gig ti Ingles, wenno g = h.

a) Aramaten ti g cas iti gapasen, geppasen, aginaw, dagiti, lagip, agsibog, aragaag, bagoong, aguni, areglado, graduado, Laguna, Baguio, Segovia, Segundina, Gloria, Gregorio.

b) Aramaten ti g iti sango ti u cas gu = gw a sarunuen ti letra a cas iti guardia, iguana, lenguaje, agua, guapo, Guadalajara, Guadalcanal, Managua, Guam; wenno gu = gw a sarunuen ti letra i cas iti lingguini, lingguista

c) Iccaten ti letra u iti nagbaetan ti letra g ken e, cas iti panggep (imbes a pangguep), mangged (imbes a manggued). Ngem saan a balbaliwan ti panangiletra cadagiti proper nouns cas ti Guerrero, Bangued, Dumaguete.

d) Iccaten ti letra u iti nagbaetan ti letra g ken i, cas iti dagiti (imbes a daguiti), lagip (imbes a laguip). Ngem saan a balbaliwan ti panangiletra cadagiti proper nouns cas ti Bangui, Panlasigui, Aguinaldo.

e) Mabalin met nga aramaten ti g = h cadagiti bulod a dayo a balicas ken proper nouns iti sango ti “e” cas iti general (Español), Eugenio, wenno

f) Aramaten ti g = h iti sango ti “i” cas iti giñebra, pagina (page), Eligio, Sergio.

g) Aramaten pay ti G = J (cas iti panangbalicas ti j iti jeep wenno jig ti Ingles) cadagiti proper nouns wenno bulod a dayo a balicas cas iti George, Giovanni, arpeggio.

8. Letra H h – Aramaten ti H cas iti help ti Ingles, wenno harana, hopia, harakiri, haan (variant ti saan), Helen, wenno silent h cas iti hour ti Ingles, wenno horas, Horacio, Hortencia.

9. Letra I i – Aramaten ti I cas iti meet wenno feet iti Ingles.

a) Aramaten ti I cas iti sipit, isem, nasudi, Misamis, Alice, Vilma.

b) Aramaten ti i cas umuna a vowel ti diphthong (monosyllabic vowel combination involving a quick but smooth movement from one vowel to another), cas iti ia (napia, Buendia, Sofia), ie (fiesta, Marrieta), io (siopao, Mario), iu (medium, Belgium).

10. Letra J j –

a) Aramaten ti J cas iti jeep ti Ingles, wenno jeepney, jujitsu, rajah, hadji, Jennifer, Joan, John, Joe, Jollibee.

b) Amaten pay ti j = h cadagiti binulod a dayo a balicas cas iti jamon, juez, jefe, jurado, justo, jai-alai, jardin, jarra, wenno proper nouns cas Juan, Alejandro, Alejo, Mejias, Maja.

c) Aramaten ti j ngem saan a balicsen (silent j) cas iti reloj (Español).

11. Letra K k – Aramaten ti k = hard c cas iti kit ti Ingles.

a) Aramaten ti k iti sango ti letra “e” cas iti kellaat, ken (imbes a quen), ket (imbes a quet), dackel, bukel, Kendra, bekkel, pekkelen.

b) Aramaten ti k iti sango ti “i” cas iti kilo, kilawen, nasakit, Shakira, ikkis, sikkil.

c) Cas nadacamat iti No. 3a, 3b, ken 3c iti ngato, aramaten ti c imbes a k iti sango ti “a”, “o”, ken “u”.

12. Letra L l – Aramaten ti L cas iti l ti lad ti Ingles.

a) Aramaten ti l cas iti lanut, adalem, linabag, loco, naglusdoy, apal, dawel, ipil-ipil, tukkol, masapul, plano, flete, supli, ejemplo, pluma, Lauro, Laguna, Marisol.

b) Sucatan iti li ti ll cadagiti buloden a dayo a balicas cas cabalio imbes a caballo, botelia imbes a botella, talier imbes a taller, rondalia imbes a rondalla, tortilia imbes a tortilla.

c) Aramaten ti doble ll cadagiti balicas cas iti kellaat (balicsen a kel-la-at), selleng (balicsen a sel-leng), sullat (balicsen a sul-lat). Mabalin nga iccan iti hyphen (-) ti nagbaetan ti doble ll tapno saan a mapagriruan doble ll = li, cas pagarigan, kel-laat, sel-leng, sul-lat.

d) Ngem saan a balbaliwan ti panangiletra cadagiti proper nouns cas iti Minglanilla, Estudillo, Agoncillo, Villamor, Tordecillas

13. Letra M m – Aramaten ti M cas iti madam ti Ingles, wenno cas iti imam, lames, Manila, Gemino, Amalia, Miriam.

14. Letra N n – Aramaten ti N cas iti nun ti Ingles, wenno nanang, sinsinan, Nonoy, Nida, Miranda, Soliman.

15. Letra Ñ ñ – Letra (balicsen enye) a naggapu iti Spanish alphabet, aramaten ti Ñ cadagiti dayo a balicas cas iti cañaw (Igorot), baño (Spanish), La Tondeña, Viña.

16. Letra NG ng – Maibilang ti digraph (a pair of letters used to write one sound or a sequence of sounds that does not correspond to the written letters combined) NG a letra iti Ilocano agsipud ta mabalin a rugi ti balicas (ngipen), tengnga ti balicas (singin), wenno ungto ti balicas (dinengdeng). Aramaten ti ng cas iti ngarud, pangen, taeng, Canlubang, Panganiban, Nguyen.

17. Letra O o – Aramaten ti O cas iti potential ti Ingles.

a) Aramaten ti o cas iti ulo, loco, riro, sagibo, guapo, Olongapo, Pedro, Eduardo, Ofelia.

b) Aramaten ti o nga umuna a vowel ti diphthong cas iti oa (Paoay, Rumbaoa), oe (Noemi), oi (oido, Eloisa)

18. Letra P p – Aramaten ti P cas iti pops ti Ingles.

a) Aramaten ti p cas iti arapaap, principe, naipit, apo, putar, Pantaleon, Pedro, Pilar, Ponciano, Pulaski.

b) Aramaten ti p iti sango ti h, ph = f, cas iti Philippines, Phillip, phantom, phenomena.

19. Letra Q q – Aramaten ti letra Q = kw cas iti quart iti Ingles wenno q = k cas iti quizas ti Español.

a) Aramaten ti Q = K cadagiti ganggannaet a proper nouns cas ti Qatar, Qantas, Iraq.

b) Sucatan ti qu iti k cas cadagiti sumaganad: iti sango ti e cas iti ket (imbes a quet), ken (imbes a quen); iti sango ti i cas iti kitaen (imbes a quitaen), makina (imbes a maquina)

c) Aramaten ti qu = kw iti sango ti a cas iti aquatica, Quantico

d) Aramaten ti q = k iti sango ti ue (querida, cheque, Parañaque, Quezon, Raquel)

d) Aramaten ti q = k iti sango ti ui cas iti Quirino, Aquilino

e) Aramaten ti q = k iti sango ti uo (quota, status quo, quorum).

20. Letra R r – Aramaten ti R cas iti reporter ti Ingles.

a) Aramaten ti r cas iti riro, anaraar, Ramon, Aurora

b) Aramaten ti rr (doble r) iti derraas, serreken, terreden, Ferrer

21. Letra S s – Aramaten ti S cas iti seasons ti Ingles.

a) Aramaten ti s cas iti salonpas, agpusipos, Sorsogon, Ramos, Selma

b) Aramaten ti s iti sango ti h cas iti shampoo, shabu, Sherma, Sheila

c) Aramaten ti doble s cas iti essem (es-sem), disso (dis-so), agassideg (a-gas-si-deg)

22. Letra T t – Aramaten ti T cas iti tomato ti Ingles.

a) Aramaten ti t cas iti taltalon, paltat, Tondo, Tomas.

b) Aramaten ti t iti sango ti h cadagiti dayo a balicas wenno proper nouns cas iti thanks, Thomas, Thelma

23. Letra U u – Aramaten ti U cas iti inutile ti Ingles.

a) Aramaten ti u cas iti putar, masapul, umay, impromptu, Laguna, Segundina, Saludez, Ragu.

b) Aramaten ti u nga umuna a vowel ti diphthong: iti sango ti a cas iti guapo, cuarto, lenguaje, Eduardo; iti sango ti e cas iti puerta, encuentro, Lafuerte; iti sango ti i cas iti linguini, linguista, Luisa.

c) Aramaten ti u iti sango ti o cas iti quorum, status quo.

24. Letra V v – Aramaten ti V cas iti valid, believe ti Ingles. Aramaten ti v cas iti vanidad, ave, verde, vino, violin, ivotos, Valentina, Velez, Vicky, Devon.

25. Letra W w – Aramaten ti W cas iti win ti Ingles. Aramaten ti w cas iti wanawan, wen, yawid, widawid, daniw, ulaw, sagawisiw, Palawan, Winifreda

26. Letra X x – Aramaten ti X cas iti fix wenno X = Z cas iti xenophobia ti Ingles. Aramaten ti x = ks cadagiti dayo a balicas cas iti fax, taxi, Dupax, Felix, wenno x = z cas iti xerox, Xena

27. Letra Y y – Aramaten ti Y cas iti yard wenno ploy ti Ingles.

a) Aramaten ti y cas iti yawat, yawis, mayat, tayyec, agmamayo, Apayao, Yolanda.

b) Ipasaruno ti y iti a cas iti umay, pagay, nam-ay, ramay, Albay, Aglipay (equivalent to ai diphthong).

c) Ipasaruno ti y iti e cas iti hey, Rodney (equivalent to ei diphthong).

d) Ipasaruno ti y iti o cas iti pul-oy, sal-loy, umal-lucoy, Savoy, Hagonoy, Roy (equivalent to oi diphthong).

e) Ipasaruno ti y iti u cas iti icuy-at, nacapuy (equivalent to oi diphthong).

28. Letra Z z – Aramaten ti Z cas zipper wenno quiz ti Ingles. Aramaten ti z cas iti zapatos, lanzones, manzanas, arroz, zigzag, Rizal, Zulema, Zenaida, Lapaz, Pelaez.

Othography: Elegance vs. Practicality

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 21:56:00 +0000

“Awrelyo Solber Agkawili” is one way to spell “Aurelio Solver Agcaoili”. But we do not use “Awrelyo Solber Agkawili” simply because the latter spelling is, er, more esthetically elegant. That’s why we prefer “Monique” to “Munik”, “Juan” to “Hwan”, “Zacarias” to “Sakarias”, “Parañaque” to “Paranyake”, “Quezon” to “Keson”, etc. Also, we use the “elegant” spelling because they are proper nouns, and as such, they are an exception to the “rule”—the use of the orthographically-challenged 20-letter Tagalog ABAKADA of Lupe K. Santos.

It's probably easier to illustrate elegance than to explain it. Say, you have a beautiful dining table covered with a beautiful linen or damasque piece on top of which are your regal plate settings. Well, it's beautiful as it is. But add a flower vase with a decent (gorgeous is even better) flower arrangement in the middle--wow, that's elegant! Probably the same thinking that goes into why the French are who they are and why they'd probably restore the use of the guillotine for the first soul who'd dare say something about changing the way they spell...

Well, it is a given that we prefer the “elegant” spelling of our names, places, etc., but are we nuts to think “fiesta” is not that elegant and so we spell it as “piesta” or “pista”? Is “general” less elegant than “heneral”? Is “giñebra” less elegant than “hinyebra” [what's that?] Is “cemento” less elegant than “semento”? Is “pancit” less elegant than “pansit”?

We have since dropped the use of “quen”--we use “ken” instead. Now we use “dagiti” instead of “daguiti”, “awan” instead of “aoan”. It’s all right in these cases because esthetically, there is no loss in--yup, you guessed it--elegance. In fact, it makes sense. However, I'd probably prefer "querida" to "kerida". Somehow, "kerida" has the effect of removing the sense of adventure innate in "querida"! So there you are: the one thing that should be standard rule is to have the spelling such that the resulting word looks and sounds elegant with nary a loss in the intended meaning!

As for the use of hard “c” as in “Ilocano”, well now, that’s simply elegant! Using “Ilokano” is, um, like you’re having a hard time moving your bowels!

Saluyot, anyone?

Bannawag Website--An Open Letter

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 01:17:00 +0000

Patgec a Djuna,

Iti pammatic, dackel a tulong ti maipaay ti pannacaipablaac--cas iti LABAW anthology--dagiti putar dagiti amin a mannurat tayo iti Ilocano, saan laeng a manipud cadagiti taga-La Union no di ket manipud iti sapasap tapno iti casta mabalin ti siasino man nga agduyos nga agbasa iti Literatura Ilocana ti gumatang cadagitoy a published collections wenno mapan iti caasitgan a library a pacasaracan cadagitoy. Ngamin ta uray no casano ti panangipamuspusan tayo a mangpatanor iti Ilocano--nangnangruna cadagiti ubbing iti elementaria ken high school--no awan met ti naan-annay a libro iti Ilocano a basaen da. Narigat met a namnamaen nga agregget dagitoy a macasursuro ken di macalipat iti nacayanacan a pagsasao.

Mabalin, ti caawan wenno kinatiggit ti demand cadagiti mapili a putar dagiti mannurat tayo iti Ilocano iti forma a cas iti LABAW ti cangrunaan a paricut ti panangipablaac iti anthologies. Ngem itan adda pamupusan tapno mataginayon ken madadaan nga ucagen dagiti pinanid ti Literatura Ilocana 24/7: isu dayta ti panangipablaac cadagitoy iti las-ud ti Internet. Mabalin nga ipablaac ti amin a sinurat, saan laeng a dagiti mapili wenno capintasan, tapno iti casta mausisa dagiti aggagar nga agusisa no casano ti panagrang-ay ti literatura tayo.

Tangay maysa cayo cadagiti oficiales ti GUMIL Filipinas, mabalin maal-lucoy yo ti liderato ti GUMIL a mangisingasing iti Bannawag a mangipasdec iti website tapno maipablaac ditoy ti amin a sarita, novela, daniw, salaysay, ken dadduma pay, manipud idi nangrugi a naipablaac daytoy a periodico (current issue plus archives). Nalabit no maicanada la ket di ti subscription rates (monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually), adu met ti mayat nga ag-subscribe. Lalo pay nga adu no libre! Wenno adda FREE TRIAL.

Toy siraraem,

Joe Padre

Labaw & Ilocano as Medium of Instruction

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 13:25:00 +0000

From "Gumil La Union" comes this great news about the Labaw Book Launch last Saturday, December 9, 2006, held at the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, San Fernando City, La Union:

Joe,

We are so sorry for a foiled online chatting sana with you or teleconference with the other writers we have invited to participate on-line during our launching. The LCD that we used during the program was not compatible with our laptop, isu a saandakayo a nacontact.

Anyway, here are two good news during the launching: 1) The affair was attended by writers and Ilocano-speaking visitors from all over the Ilocos Region. 2) The provincial governor of La Union, represented by the mayor of the City of San Fernando, committed to order copies of LABAW book for distribution to ALL BARANGAY AND MUNICIPAL LIBRARIES of the province of La Union, including libraries of public schools (elementary and high school). The reason of the development-oriented local executive is to strengthen the awareness of the Ilokanos, especially the youth by making available anthologized works of the province's legendary writers (both the living and the dead), as well as veteran and promising writers.

As our simple way of recognizing your commendable contribution to the development of Iloko literature, we have reserved a copy of LABAW for you. How can we send it to you there? Or can we send it to one of your relatives here?

Thank you, and keep stirring the wheel of Iloko literature!

We are truly proud of your cause... We are equally proud of what you are doing to truly promote the development of Samtoy....

Djuna

These are the six major players at the Labaw book launching event:

1. Gov. Victor F. Ortega of the province of La Union

2. Mayor Mary Jane C. Ortega of San Fernando City

3. GUMIL La Union President Djuna R. Alcantara

4. GUMIL La Union Writers/Members

5. Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University

6. LABAW

By George, I think we have here 6 of the most important can-do elements of an activist movement that could breathe life to Section 7, Article XIV of the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines which provides, among other things:

"The regional languages are the auxiliary official languages in the regions and shall serve as auxiliary media of instruction therein."

Ilocano has to be used as the medium of instruction at least in grade school in the Ilocano-speaking regions of the country. Ditto with the other local languages in their respective regions.

There is overwhelming evidence from a wealth of studies out there, some of them undertaken under the aegis of UNESCO, indicating that the use of the mother tongue as the medium of instruction at least during the first few years of a child's education is the way to go to prepare our young school children to perform better in their education, including the learning of Filipino and English and their use as media of instruction as required by DepED Order No. 36, s. 2006, dated August 22, 2006.

About the only departure from DepED Order No. 36 that I would recommend at this point is to require the mother tongue as the sole medium of instruction from kindergarten to Grade III. After the third grade, the school child, hopefully, will have developed basic literacy skills in his/her mother tongue. Filipino and English should then be introduced as the other media of instruction in Grade IV and should continue as such as required by the DepED order. Ilocano should continue as the medium of instruction from the fourth to sixth grades, with a course concentration on Ilocano grammar and Iloco literature. This setup just happens to comply with the abovementioned constitutional mandate of 1987.

My strong belief on the use of the mother tongue as medium of instruction during the early stages of our children’s education is reinforced by Dr. Carol Benson's (from Stockholm University's Centre for Research on Bilingualism) compelling article, "The Importance of mother tongue-based schooling for educational quality," a commissioned study for EFA (Education For All) Global Monitoring Report 2005. The article is excerpted here as follows:

While there are many factors involved in delivering quality basic education, language is clearly the key to communication and understanding in the classroom. Many developing countries are characterized by individual as well as societal multilingualism, yet continue to allow a single foreign language to dominate the education sector. Instruction through a language that learners do not speak has been called “submersion” because it is analogous to holding learners under water without teaching them how to swim. Compounded by chronic difficulties such as low levels of teacher education, poorly designed, inappropriate curricula and lack of adequate school facilities, submersion makes both learning and teaching extremely difficult, particularly when the language of instruction is also foreign to the teacher.

Mother tongue-based bilingual programs use the learner’s first language, known as the L1, to teach beginning reading and writing skills along with academic content. The second or foreign language, known as the L2, should be taught systematically so that learners can gradually transfer skills from the familiar language to the unfamiliar one. Bilingual models and practices vary as do their results, but what they have in common is their use of the mother tongue at least in the early years so that students can acquire and develop literacy skills in addition to understanding and participating in the classroom.

Bilingual as opposed to monolingual schooling offers significant pedagogical advantages which have been reported consistently in the academic literature:

-- Use of a familiar language to teach beginning literacy facilitates an understanding of sound-symbol or meaning-symbol correspondence. Learning to read is most efficient when students know the language and can employ psycholinguistic guessing strategies; likewise, students can communicate through writing as soon as they understand the rules of the orthographic (or other written) system of their language. In contrast, submersion programs may succeed in teaching students to decode words in the L2, but it can take years before they discover meaning in what they are “reading.”

-- Since content area instruction is provided in the L1, the learning of new concepts is not postponed until children become competent in the L2. Unlike submersion teaching, which is often characterised by lecture and rote response, bilingual instruction allows teachers and students to interact naturally and negotiate meanings together, creating participatory learning environments that are conducive to cognitive as well as linguistic development.

-- Explicit teaching of the L2 beginning with oral skills allows students to learn the new language through communication rather than memorization. In submersion schooling teachers are often forced to translate or code-switch to convey meaning, making concept learning inefficient and even impeding language learning, while bilingual programs allow for systematic teaching of the L2.

-- Transfer of linguistic and cognitive skills is facilitated in bilingual programs. Once students have basic literacy skills in the L1 and communicative skills in the L2, they can begin reading and writing in the L2, efficiently transferring the literacy skills they have acquired in the familiar language. The pedagogical principles behind this positive transfer of skills are Cummins’ interdependence theory and the concept of common underlying proficiency, whereby the knowledge of language, literacy and concepts learned in the L1 can be accessed and used in the second language once oral L2 skills are developed, and no re-learning is required. Consistent with these principles, it is possible for children schooled only in the L2 to transfer their knowledge and skills to the L1, but the process is highly inefficient as well as being unnecessarily difficult.

-- Student learning can be accurately assessed in bilingual classrooms. When students can express themselves, teachers can diagnose what has been learned, what remains to be taught and which students need further assistance. In submersion schooling cognitive learning and language learning are confounded, making it difficult for teachers to determine whether students have difficulty understanding the concept itself, the language of instruction, or the language of the test.

-- The affective domain, involving confidence, self-esteem and identity, is strengthened by use of the L1, increasing motivation and initiative as well as creativity. L1 classrooms allow children to be themselves and develop their personalities as well as their intellects, unlike submersion classrooms where they are forced to sit silently or repeat mechanically, leading to frustration and ultimately repetition, failure and dropout.

Students become bilingual and biliterate. Bilingual programs encourage learners to understand, speak, read and write in more than one language. In contrast, submersion programs attempt to promote skills in a new language by eliminating them from a known language, which may actually limit learner competence in both.
All of these advantages are based on two assumptions: one, that basic human needs are being met so that schooling can take place; and two, that mother tongue-based bilingual schooling can be properly implemented.

I am aware that there are advocacies out there who want to see the use of the mother tongue (regional language) as medium of instruction in the regions. Dr. Jessie Grace Rubrico, a language expert, emailed me on September 4, 2006:

SOLFED (Saving Our Languages Through Federalism) has for its advocacy regionalizing the official languages. It is working on the revision of Section 7, Article 14 of the 1987 Constitution making the regional languages official languages for the region instead of "auxiliary"...

In fact, Catherine Young's article, "First Language First: Literacy Education for the Future in a Multilingual Philippine Society," provides a glimpse of the Regional Lingua Franca (RLF) experiemental program of the Department of Education requiring the use of Tagalog-based Filipino in Tagalog-speaking regions, Ilocano in Ilocano-speaking regions and Cebuano in Cebuano-speaking regions:

In school year 1999/2000 the then Department of Education, Culture and Sports Under-secretary Gonzalez began a programme of vernacular education on an experimental basis in grades 1 and 2 using the three major linguae francae – Tagalog-based Filipino in Tagalog speaking areas, Cebuano and Ilokano. These pilot programmes were conducted in 15 regions of the country (all regions except the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao [ARMM], due to peace and order problems in ARMM which hampered teacher training and potential programme evaluation). The Bureau of Elementary Education defined careful criteria for schools that would participate in the experimental project (Department of Education, Culture and Sports, 1999a) and the school officials were given the option to select the language of instruction...

Once again, the intent of the programme was to increase the proficiency of pupils in their use of Filipino and English (the national and international languages of education) by using the regional lingua franca as a ‘bridge’. The results were described as ‘encouraging’. When compared to control classes, the achievement in all subjects was slightly better and, additionally, observations suggested an increased vitality and enthusiasm in the classes.

The processes of conceptualisation were said to begin almost from the first few weeks of school rather than the traditional focus on rote learning and memorisation.

Former Education Secretary Gonzalez commented, ‘the programme will improve even more as the materials are subjected to critiquing and improvement’. He continued that rigorous controls were not applied to the pilot schools (he emphasised that this was not a formal experimental programme) but that the Regional Lingua Franca (RLF) programme was an attempt to demonstrate that:

the child is most comfortable learning…in his home language and begins to conceptualise rather than merely memorise formulae and codes as he does in the control classes when the language he is using is not familiar.’

I believe we have enough here to allow to ferment till the next post. In the meantime, I would like to give credit to LABAW and the indefatigable visionary people behind it for giving us reason to rally our collective effort to have Ilocano as the medium of instruction at least at the grade school level in Ilocandia. I would also like to laud the Governor and the Mayor for providing the people of La Union, especially the young, the opportunity to experience our rich Iloco literature and for blazing the trail for others to follow.

Labaw: crème de la crème

noreply@blogger.com (Joe Padre) — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 22:26:00 +0000

We salute the movers and shakers of the Labaw anthology the historic book launching of which will be held at the Multi-Function Hall, Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University, San Fernando City, La Union, on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2006, under the aegis of GUMIL La Union.

An anthology of the crème de la crème of Ilocano literary works previously published in various Ilocano media, notably Bannawag and Sirmata, by writers hailing from the province of La Union during the period from 1956 to the present, the Labaw collection is primarily GUMIL La Union President Djuna R. Alcantara’s selections.

While it is understandable why an effort was made to translate Manuel Arguilla’s classic “How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife” (the translation is actually compellingly faithful), I would have much preferred the original in all its splendor (with a brief note as to why a work in English is being included).

The anthology is the right way to offset the understandable paucity of Ilocano literary works cited in school textbooks. This is the right approach to create reading material in Ilocano if we are to pursue the goal of using the mother tongue as the medium of instruction, preferably during the first few years of our children’s education to ensure better quality education as recommended by various studies conducted under UNICEF.

It is regrettable that the use of the mother tongue as medium of instruction is completely overlooked by DepEd Order No. 36, s. 2006, dated August 22, 2006, which provides:

Pursuant to the provisions of Executive Order No. 210, the following rules and regulations are issued for the effective implementation of the policies established therein, and in reiteration of increased time allotment for the use of English for classroom instruction, as stipulated in previous implementing guidelines:

a. English shall be taught as a second language starting with Grade I;

b. As provided for in the 2002 Basic Education Curriculum, English shall be used as the medium of instruction for English, Mathematics and Science and Health starting Grade III; and

c. The English language shall be used as the primary medium of instruction in all public and private schools in the secondary level, including those established as laboratory and/or experimental schools, and vocational/technical institutions. As the primary medium of instruction, the percentage of time allotment for learning areas conducted in the English language should not be less than 70% of the total time allotment for all learning areas in all year levels.

At the secondary level, here's how the 70% allocated to English as the medium of instruction per week from first year to fourth year: English--300 minutes, Science--360, Mathematics--300 minutes, Technology & Livelihood Education--240 minutes, Music, Arts, P.E. & Health--240 minutes. For the fourth year, an additional 50 minutes per week is allocated to Citizenship Advancement Training. The remaining 30% is allocated to the use of Filipino as medium of instruction in the following learning areas: Filipino--240 minutes,, Araling Panlipunan--240 minutes, and Edukasyon sa Pagpapahalaga--120 minutes for first and second years and 180 minutes for third and fourth years. There's absolutely nothing allocated for the use of Ilocano, or Cebuano, or Pangasinense, or any of the other local languages as the medium of instruction.

The Department Order is unclear about the use of the mother tongue or regional language in grade school

I personally believe that it’s atrocious to expect a student whose mother tongue is not Tagalog to start school, basically forced to learn ("immerse" in) two foreign languages (English and Filipino) to survive in school. The system is completely tilted in favor of those whose mother tongue is Tagalog who understandably can transition into Filipino with no problem.

That’s why we need Labaw and more of it. That’s why we need to expand the corpus in which Ilocano is used. That’s why we should have anthologies of representative Ilocano literary works--the crème de la crème--from the entire country and over the entire period of time since they started getting recorded or published. We need to bring out the good from the past to the present and make them more easily accessible, instead of locking them in the vaults of Bannawag or any other media. The technology is there to make them available—either for free or for a fee—on the Internet.

Without a comprehensive body of work in Ilocano, it simply is more difficult to push for the use of Ilocano as the medium of instruction even only at the grade school level—and yet we are told that’s the way to go for our children's early learning stages for them to have a quality education.