Why save Philippine languages?

(BUWANG ng WIKA)
Doy Cinco / IPD
August 4, 2007
Ayon sa ating Konstitusyon, nakasaad sa Seksyon 6 hanggang 9, Artikulo 14 Edukasyon, Science and Technology, Arts, Culture at Sports ng 1987 Constitution;
(kuha sa: www.ops.gov.ph/concord/conbookV2.GIF)
SEKSYON 6. Ang wikang pambansa ng Pilipinas ay Filipino. Samantalang nililinang, ito ay dapat payabungin at pagyamanin pa salig sa umiiral na wika sa Pilipinas at sa iba pang mga wika. Alinsunod sa tadhana ng batas at sang-ayon sa nararapat na maaaring ipasya ng Kongreso, dapat magsagawa ng mga hakbangin ang Pamahalaan upang ibunsod at puspusang itaguyod ang paggamit ng Filipino bilang medium ng opisyal na komunikasyon at bilang wika ng pagtuturo sa sistemang pang-edukasyon.

SEKSYON 7. Ukol sa layunin ng komunikasyon at pagtuturo, ang mga wikang opisyal ng Pilipinas ay Filipino at, hangga't walang ibang itinatadhana ang batas, Ingles. Ang mga wikang panrehiyon ay pantulong na mga wikang opisyal sa mga rehiyon at magsisilbi na pantulong na mga wikang panturo roon. Dapat itaguyod ng kusa at opsyonal ang Kastila at Arabic.

SEKSYON 8. Ang Konstitusyong ito ay dapat ipahayag sa Filipino at Ingles, at dapat isalin sa mga pangunahing wikang panrehiyon, Arabic, at Kastila.

SEKSYON 9. Dapat magtatag ng Kongreso ng isang komisyon ng wikang Pambansa na binubuo ng mga kinatawan ng iba't ibang mga rehiyon at mga disiplina na magsasagawa, maguugnay at magtataguyod ng mga pananaliksik sa Filipino at iba pang mga wika para sa kanilang pagpapaunlad, pagpapalaganap, at pagpapanatili.
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Tanggap na natin ang hamon ng globalisasyon, ang global competitiveness at paggamit ng "English kalabaw." Patuloy na pinatatag at ayaw bitiwan ang (Pilipinas) trono bilang ikatlo sa mundo na mahusay magsalita ng English at ikatlo rin sa pinakamahusay na OFW-skilled, entertainer, domestic helper, care giver at prostitutes ng mundo. Maaring sabihin isang malaking trahedya.
(kuha sa: www.senate.gov.ph/senators/images2/santiago2.gif at www2.sunstar.com.ph/.../images/eddiegul-t.jpg)
Sa kasalukuyan, mahigit kumulang na 10 milyon Pilipino ang nag-alsa balutan, nagmigrate at nagtatrabaho sa labas ng bansa; Australia, Japan, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Hongkong, Germany, UK, at iba pa. Sa Amerika at sa Canada na lamang (matatagpuan ang mayorya ng dollar remitances ng bansa), halos mayroon nang 2 milyon at patuloy na dumarami. Halos malagpasan na natin ang mga Intsik doon kung bibilangin lamang pati mga TNT (tago ng tago). Sa tingin ko, hindi habang panahon ay OFW na lamang tayo!

Apat na siglong nilooban tayo ng mga dayuhan. Noong panahon ng Kastila, ginamit ang wika upang ikintal sa utak natin ang mensahe ng kabanalan at pagiging masunurin. Sa ilalim ng Kano, sa loob lamang ng kalahating siglo at ilang dekada matapos “ibigay ang kasarinlan”, isinubo ang wikang English bilang opisyal na lengguwahe.

Mula sa sistema ng ating edukasyon bilang medium sa pagtuturo, gamit ang English sa gubyerno’t lehislatura, pakikipagtransaksyon sa negosyo at pakikipaghuntaan ng elite. Mula sa aklat at iba pang reference materials, magazines, research manual, script hanggang sa pagsusulat ng artikulo at propaganda materials ay pawang nakasulat sa dayong wika. Dahil sa spokening dollar, hindi tuloy naintindihan ng mga taga-PAYATAS, QC ang SONA adres ni Ate Glo nuong July 23.

Ang isang nakakaiyak, ultimo Kilusang Kaliwa ay gumagamit ng lenguaheng English sa kanilang pakikipagkomunikasyon! Dahil ENGLISH ang gamit ng ilang NGOs-civil societies organizations, nakatuon sa FUNDING AGENCY at ELITE middle class at hindi sa maralita't lokal na Kilusang Masa naka-adres ang mensahe at pakikibaka. Hindi maintindihan ng batayang masa, 'di maintindihan ni Mang Pandoy. Ang tanong ni Mang Pandoy, paano maiPOPOLARIZED ang adbokasiya't mga panawagan ng bayan kung ang salitang dayo't hindi maintindihan ang gamit sa (medium) pagpapaabot?
(kuha sa: img.search.com/thumb/a/a4/McKinleyPhilippines...)
Ang nakakalungkot, kung gusto mong maging Kongresman, isang konserbatibong TRAPONG pulitiko, kailangang English ang gamit mo, kung gusto mo ng may mataas na pinag-aralan at modernong pamumuhay wikang English ang dapat na gamit mo. Sa simpleng paghahalintulad, ginamit ang English sa pangungulimbat at pandarambong. Yung salitang "commission, under the table, standard operational procedure (SOP), sovereign guarantee" at “substantial compliance” ay walang iba kundi suhol, lagay at pangungukurakot.

Nakakatawang isiping ginagamit ang English sa pagbibiyahe sa abrod o jungket. Ginamit ang English sa panloloko, sa land grabbing at malakihang pagnanakaw. Ginamit ang English upang sang-ayunan ang mga batas at tratadong kontra Pilipino. Ginamit ang English upang supilin ang kilusang makabayan. Ginamit ang English, upang baluktutin ang hustisya't paburan ang mga malalaki’t mga dambuhala. (kuha sa: www.interlocals.net/files/philip.jpg). 5,000 Filipina Domestic Helper in Hongkong.
Kung ang wikang English ang mag-aahon sa karalitaan at mataas na antas ng ating pamumuhay (tulad ng Nipongo, Korean, Mandarin, Bahasa, Scandinvian, Russian at iba pang mauunlad na sibilisasyon, identity at kultura), kung ang English ang magpapawi ng katiwalian at pangungurakot, kung ang English ang magpapalago ng industriya’t teknolohiya at empleyo, kung ang English ang papawi sa pagiging busabos ng Pinoy sa mata ng mundo, kung ang english ang bubura sa paninging mga UTUSAN, chimay at prostitute (domestic helper at caregivers) ang mga Pinoy sa mata ng mundo, kung ang English ang magdadala ng maraming gintong medalya sa tuwing may palaro sa Olympic at kung ang English ang siyang daan sa pagkakaisa at kapanatagang pampulitika, baka siguro NUMERO UNO NA TAYO SA LAHAT NG BAGAY SA MUNDO!
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Why save Philippine languages?

Saturday, August 04, 2007
By Fred S. Cabuang
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/aug/04/yehey/opinion/20070804opi6.html

August is the month of the year when we focus our attention on national language as well as regional languages in the Philippines. Our country is not only rich in natural and human resource, the Philippines is rich in languages. Ethnology 2002 listed around 163 languages including the endangered “Negrito” languages. Latest count by some foreign linguists is now somewhere between 170 and 180. The count includes the “endangered languages” and the “threatened languages.” The endangered and threatened languages are increasing due to the close personal interactions of different ethnic communities and the opportunity for these communities to adopt the stronger language and replace the weaker language between and among the interacting communities.

Another reason some languages begin to deteriorate is because some community members become simply “lazy” to speak their own language once they discover that there is another language that is more conveniently acceptable to many and that their language can be replaced with great ease and with one that carries a high social acceptability. The strength of the language is measured by the number of people using a language for communication specially in education, commerce and day-to-day social activities.

There are many of us who still do not give importance to the value of language specially the “lingua franca” or “mother tongue.” The “lingua franca” or “mother tongue” is the language spoken at home by family members and the language being used by the members of the same community. The survival of the “mother tongue” is as important as saving “nature” and “humankind.” The protection of endangered species such as “plants and animals” and “people” who are classified as minority, such as women, children, disabled and senior citizens includes the protection of their “culture and language” under many international agreements.

In the 1800s, Ornolfor Thorsson, an adviser of the President of Iceland, said, “Without our language, we have no culture, we have no identity, we are nothing.” Ornolfor Thorsson said this when the Icelandic language was in danger of disappearing after years of Norwegian colonialism. Had this happened, the Icelanders as an ethno­linguistic people would have disappeared from the face of the earth.

Some countries belonging to the new order have signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights where in Article 27, the rights of persons belonging to ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities are well protected.

The United Nations’ Resolution 47/135 adopted by the General Assembly on December 18, 1992, specifically states:
ARTICLE 1
1- States (member countries) shall protect the existence and the national or ethnic, cultural, religious and LINGUISTIC IDENTITY OF MINORITIES within their respective territories and shall encourage conditions for the promotion of that identity.
2- STATES SHALL TAKE APPROPRIATE LEGISLATION and other measures to achieve those ends.
ARTICLE 2
1- Persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and LINGUISTIC MINORITIES (hereinafter referred to as persons belonging to minorities) have the right to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion and TO USE THEIR OWN LANGUAGE, IN PRIVATE AND IN PUBLIC, FREELY AND WITHOUT INTERFERENCE OR ANY FORM OF DISCRIMINATION.

ARTICLE 4
1- STATES SHALL TAKE MEASURES where required to ensure that persons belonging to minorities may exercise fully and effectively all their human rights and fundamental freedoms without any discrimination and in full EQUALITY before the law.

2- STATES SHALL TAKE MEASURES to create favorable conditions to enable persons belonging to minorities to express their characteristics AND TO DEVELOP THEIR CULTURE, LANGUAGE, religion, traditions and customs.

3- STATES SHOULD TAKE APPROPRIATE MEASURES so that, whenever possible, persons belonging to minorities may have adequate OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN THEIR MOTHER TON­GUE OR TO HAVE INSTRUCTION IN THEIR MOTHER TONGUE.

4- STATES SHOULD, WHERE APPROPRIATE, TAKE MEASURES IN THE FIELD OF EDUCATION, in order to encourage knowledge of the history, traditions, LANGUAGE AND CULTURE of the minorities existing within their territory.

You see, the advocacy to save the Philippine languages is not just a matter of protecting our “languages” but also protecting our Philippine “culture.” Our culture and languages will define our true Filipino identity. To fight for the preservation and protection of all languages in the Philippines, is not just a fight, but also a question of “right.”

Unfortunately, here in the Philippines, there is still a lot of work to be done. Beginning from the compliance of all the provisions stated in many covenants and U.N. resolutions that concern language issues, our country does not have a working committee (regular, special, or otherwise) in Congress that will handle such concerns. The Philippines has been a signatory of all these covenants and resolutions, and initiating the so called “legislation and measures” as required by these international agreements is not possible if these matters on languages have no place in the Legislative Branch.

If we ignored the call to protect and save our languages today, where would the Filipinos be in five decades?

[Prof. Fred S. Cabuang is the spokesman and vice-president for congressional relations of SOLFED Foundation Inc., an NGO engaged in saving all languages in the Philippines. He is also the founder of the Institute for Linguistic Minority, an NGO to save the endangered languages of Indigenous Peoples of Mindanao. For comments, please e-mail linguisticminority @gmail.com)
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