Ang Wikang Ingles sa Pilipinas

Mismong ako, nahihirapan akong magsalita o magsulat ng purong Filipino. Sigurado ako, na sa mismong "post" na ito, 'di ko maiiwasang gumamit ng wikang Ingles (At hayun na nga, 'di na nga puro...) Ang Filipino ngayon ay nahaluan na ng iba't ibang wikang banyaga, dahil sabi nga ng mga eksperto, ito ay isang "living language" na bukas sa panghihiram ng mga salita mula sa ibang mga lengwahe. Pero kung ako ay kakausapin ng isang purista, maiintindihan ko rin naman ito. Kakatwa nga lang isipin na marami pa rin sa atin ang nagsasabing hindi maaaring maging "mode of instruction" ang Ingles sa mga eskwelahan, dahil masisira nito ang ating pagiging tunay na Filipino, ngayong punumpuno naman ng "loan words" ang wikang ito.

Sa isang banda, dapat pa rin nating pahalagahan ang ating sariling mga lengwahe, at hindi lang ang Filipino (o Tagalog sa iba). Nariyan na ang ating lokal o pangrehiyon na lengwahe tulad ng Ilocano, Cebuano, Hiligaynon, o Kapampangan, na nagbabadyang mabaon sa limot ng mga susunod na henerasyon 'pag naglaon.

Para sa akin, hinde dapat maging opisyal na moda ng istruksyon ang Ingles sa mga estudyante, bagkus, dapat nga silang kausapin sa kanilang mga "mother tongue". Kung gagawin 'to ng gobyerno, para lang maipagbayo ang kakayahan ng Pilipinong magsalita ng Ingles, at nang sa gayon ay makapangibang bansa rin naman bandang huli, huwag na lang 'di ba? Puno ng potensyal ang ating bansa, pwede rin naman tayong maging mayaman ng hinde lang "pag-aabroad" ang iniisip.

Gayunpaman, hinde ko naman sinasabi na ayokong mangibang bansa. Sa kasalukuyang sistemang politikal at ekonomiya ng bansa, medyo nakabababa talaga ang mga trabaho dito sa atin, kumpara sa mga "high-paying" na trabaho sa ibang bansa. Ngunit, hinde solusyon ang pag-impose ng Ingles sa pagtuturo ng mga bata.

Kung babasahin n'yo 'yung naka-link sa pamagat ng post na ito, mapapansin na nag-iba na ang daloy ng usapan pagdating sa mga komento. Maraming nagsasabing gusto rin nilang maibalik ang Espanyol, bilang isa sa mga opisyal na wika ng bansa. Nasira tuloy ang pinupunto ng mismong artikulo. Mukhang kailangang pag-usapan yang kumplikadong bagay na iyan sa iba pang "entry" ng blog ko.

Mas mabuting ipagpatuloy na lang ang pagtuturo sa tradisyunal na pamamaraan. Kapag purong Ingles ang ginawang "mode of instruction" sa mga eskwela, makakalimutan na ng mga nakababatang henerasyon ang kanilang sariling Wika, kasama na rin ng lokal na lengwahe nila (gaya ng Cebuano, Bicolano, etc.)

Wikang Filipino para sa mga asignaturang malapit sa ating bansa, tulad ng Sosyologo, Kultura, Heograpiya, Sining Pangkomunikasyon, atbp. At wikang Ingles naman para sa Agham, Matematika, at ibang mga panteknikal na asignatura, na hinde naman pwedeng isalin sa ating sariling lengwahe. Gayundin, mangyaring bigyan ding pagkakataon ang mga haiskul na matuto ng Espanyol upang mas lalong matutunan ang ating Kasaysayan. dapat din, na ang mga lengwaheng panrehiyon o lokal, ay patuloy pa ring ipalaganap sa mga pamamahay, at kung kakayanin ay gamiten sa mababang paaralan, dahil ito ay mga natitirang salamin ng ating mga ninuno.

Climate Change: How Fatal?

I've just come across this article about Sen. Loren Legarda, calling upon the Filipinos to support the projects the government is bound to undertake for the security of our future. She cites Albay and Puerto Princesa as model provinces, and that their initiatives should be replicated by the rest of the country. I'm not exactly a fan of her, though. But I do not disagree with her, either (It should be known to you that Philippine politics is a world full of biased commentaries and hypocrisies, and I wouldn't want to be labeled as such).

I won't pretend that I am very learned with this subject matter, climate change, and how it would affect our nation, moreover, the world in the next few years. For an individual like me, who spends thirty minutes watching the daily news (sometimes), it's not an easy task to comment on this issue. What I know, however, is that it would entirely be foolish of me not to be aware, for that matter. It would never hurt to know, so might as well visit the link (by clicking this post's title).

Wishing There Would Be A Next Time, A Next Year

Once is not enough. It is always fun to try things out the second time around.

The first encounter, the first experience, the first moment. This sensation is an alien idea to us. We simply categorize it to either "good" or "bad". Whatever it is: food, pet, hobby, sport. A friend. A special person. A place. Whatever it may be, or whoever it may be, the fact remains that we can never tell the truth and we can never confirm this truth just by trying it just once.

The second time is an understanding. It is also having the right approach and the right attitude towards this second time. It is when we start to mature and grow into a sycamore tree. It is having the decision to choose whether there would be a next time. A next time of going to someplace majestic. Of being friends with an acquaintance, or being with the same set of friends again. Of keeping the same job. Of turning the key again to open yet another door in our lives.

The third and the succeeding days, thereafter, would be an epiphany of knowledge and wisdom. Look at our friends who have been with us, almost every day of our lives. Look at our family, who has been there no matter what had been happening to us. Look at all the people who have been reaching out, and keeping in touch with our human selves. They all chose to be part of our individual self, and we, just the same, have chosen them to be bookmarks of our personal chapters and appendices.

By appreciating the miracle of life, and the miracle of relationships, we all grow into something bigger and better. We can even learn to appreciate the simplest of things through the help of others. Because there are always those who have mastered the craft, and there are those who are still inching their way towards an ideal life. There are those without any idea at all, of his existence or of the beauty of his entirety, and that's for you to discover and for you to iron out.

There may never be a next time, so be thankful. For life. For love. And for everything else in between.

Happy new year!

Sa Wakas Tumila din Ang Ulan

Nakatatawang isipin na noong Hulyo lang ay ipinagdarasal ng Simbahang Katoliko na magkaroon na ng pag-ulan, dahil na rin sa matagal ng panahon ng tagtuyot sa ating bansa. Matatandaan na ang Pilipinas ay isang agrikulturang estado, at tayo ay umaasa pa rin s tulong ng mga ulan upang magbigay daan sa mga yamang-lupa ng ating mga magsasaka. Idiniin ng DOA na kulang pa rin ang tubig ng ating mga dam upang matugunan ang kinakailangang patubig sa mga sakahan.
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At hayun nga, sinagot ng Diyos ang ating dasal. 3 sunud-dunod na bagyo ang nagmadaling mamasyal sa ating bansa ngayong Agosto lang: sina Chedeng, Dodong at Egay. Ang babait nga nila. Maraming nasalanta ng bagyo, mga pananim na nasira, mga bahay na pinuno ng tubig (o lahar), mga barangay na nabura sa mapa, at mga namatay. Kakatwa na ang hinihingi nating tulong, na sana ay pupunan sa ating supply ng tubig, ay siya ring naging kasangkapan ng pagkagimbal at pamomroblema ng mga Pilipino.

Ganyan talaga ang buhay. Eto ang madalas nating marineg. Ironic, ika nga nila. Marami sa atin ang nagkikibit-balikat na lang. Iniisip kasi natin na wala rin tayong magagawa dito. Parehas din ba ito ng mga suliranin na nakakaharap natin sa pang-araw-araw na buhay natin? Medyo.

Ang pagkakaiba nga lang, mas kontrolado pa rin natin ang mga personal na desisyon. Hinde natin maihahambing ang walang kapatawarang pananalasa ng isang bagyo, sa isang biglaang suliranin ng ating mga sarili, mapatungkol man iyan sa relasyon, pagkakaibigan, trabaho, pag-ibig, atbp. Oo, may magagawa pa rin tayo, anu mang problema iyan. Basta kailangan lang nating mag-isip ng pinakamabuting paraan. 'Yung sanang hindi natin pagsisihan pagdating ng araw.

Note: This is my very first blogger post in Filipino.

Closing the Month of July: Hello, August!

People have always dismissed me as some mediocre individual trying to go with the flow, sometimes standing out, and sometimes seated in the corner of the room, trying to think of many things that have been happening in my life. After all, who said 21 years is short of wisdom-inducing experiences?

I have been an activist in my college life, have been burdened with problems in my relationship with my father in my teenage years, have been the center of attention when I was a child -- still innocent, good-looking and independently absorbed with my water-coloured fantasy world.

And now, as I am nearing the end of my twenty-one long years of my life (which means I'm turning twenty-two by next month), I am just beginning to feel the lash of reality, and its never-ending surge of dilemmas, ironies, and disappointments.

I may fail in the end. I may succeed, for whatever I may do and decide. But one thing's for sure: I am learning. I know that the learning process doesn't stop in my adolescence. It goes on and on. An accomplice of maturity and courage to face life in its most complex form. The learning process never stops, never ages, never rusts.

This will be my last month as a twenty-one-year-old. It has been a hurly-burly of trials and decision-makings. But thank goodness, I am coping with it.

Polyglot? Nah. Just a Trying-Hard Linguist Freak.

One of best things I get from working in the city (Mandaluyong, to be exact) is the fact that I get free language lessons any time I like. What with all the people from different provinces and different cultures who chose to work here, and whom I get to talk with as much as I' d want to.

I'd like to think of language as a very useful weapon in life. It can easily be ticked off as something hard to decipher, and better yet, a "what-the-heck" aspect of a culture. But for me? The long hours and days and months of asking questions on "how to say this?" and "how do you pronounce this?" really pays off, especially in dealing with other people. Learning someone's language gets me real close to my fellow Filipinos, and it makes me think of life in a wider point-of-view.

Yes, at first, it's confusing. But if you really put your heart into it, and learn to appreciate it, then the difficulty is torn away.

I was first inspired by Nelly Furtado, herself, a polyglot (a multi-lingual individual), who knew Portuguese (her native language), French (because they migrated to Canada), Spanish, and Hindi. That was June of last year. It was then when I started learning Spanish myself. Not that I'm claiming to be prolific in the English language already. After all, English, a very powerful language, has a very complex vocabulary, that I still run out of the appropriate words to use when I am writing. But I once read that, learning a language will also help you understand your own language better. It's because you get to discover the real rules of your own tongue when translating or using another language.

After Spanish, and this was just last August of 2006, I started to drift off into a more intimate relationship with my Filipino roots. I discovered that many probinsyanos worked in the city, even in IBM Daksh, my present workplace. In the boarding house alone, almost all my housemates are Bisayas (speaking in native Cebuano). I have a handful of officemates who speak Iloko. A few Hiligaynon speakers. Some friends from Pangasinan. A bit of Bikol (yes, I am 1/4 Bicolano, and I really want to embrace my biological roots). And i can say, I've come a long way already, considering I pick up on the rules quite fast. It's really fun. and yes, I admit. I'm obsessed with 'em languages.

Forgive me for being a language freak. And please understand that this is not something to brag about. But it's something to be proud of, that you just love being a Filipino, that you still have time to learn the rich language (and culture) of your fellowmen.

Next target: Italian.

Laps, Employment, and Feelings that Hurt

I did myself a favor, by finally doing what I need and love to do: running. Although a single round at the Center of Mental Health doesn't sound challenging, it surely squeezed out all the toxins and sweat that I have been carrying around for two months now. Of course, why should I pressure myself anyway? I have to get to square zero again, then inch by inch, shall I increase my speed, or maybe I could just add more laps. And now, I feel better again. My body hurts and all, but the I know the fruits will turn ripe and sweet in the end.

~*

A little over one month from now (August 5), I will have been one year in my employment in IBM Daksh Business Process Services, Phils., Inc. and time has finally come to move on. That is, I've gotta find a way to steer my career in the medical field. The place where I belong; I, being a BS Biology graduate. Maybe, become a medical representative? Or if I still got some more luck in my pocket, I may be shortlisted in those lucky applicants for an Ogilvy Healthworld Medical Enrichment Training Course.

~*

Who said loving somebody was an easy task? Who said opening up one's self to someone would be a daunting mission? Ironic, yes it is. Emotions are but serious elements of our human soul; they play their own roles interdependently in our minds and lives. Some just happen. Some gradually grow in our hearts. Some emotions, when thought of and recognized, simply vanish into nothing. While some, like love, no matter how you whisk it away, will eat your flesh -- burn your body. And you'll realize, man, this feels so good.

109 years... and counting.

The Philippines has come a long way since She first raised her flag with dignity way back on June 12, 1898. Despite being a third world country, She has proven herself deserving of the title, "Pearl of the Orient."

Yearly, this particular day (which was yesterday, by the way) is celebrated by Filipinos here and abroad, as a reminder to rekindle our patriotism and Nationalistic spirit. We all remember our heroes: Andres Bonifacio, who founded the Katipunan and led the Revolution against the Spanish colonizers; Emilio Aguinaldo, who became the very first President of our democratic government; and Jose Rizal, our national hero, who has written several eye-opening manuscripts, leading to our eventual freedom.

But what is in store for us, the modern Filipino society?

I'd like to think that, in the near future, Christians and Muslims shall live in harmony. No more bomb threats. No more attacks. No more terrorism.

People shall learn the importance of discipline and self-control from their homes, schools, the church, and their neighborhood. People shall look for trash bins, rather than just throw away their rubbish anywhere. They shall stop at red lights. Cross and move on at green. The Philippines shall be crime-free, and a tourist-friendly destination.

Our people shall conserve our cultural resources, our heritage, our local treasures, our wildlife, our travel hotspots. These shall encourage the world to see the beauty of our country, and to realize that our home is not such a bad place after all.

We shall continue to excel in our chosen fields: in sports, in the arts, in business, etc. We will learn to do it, the achiever's way. We shall follow the steps of Lea Salonga, Manny Pacquiao, and the biz tycoons who have started from scratch, and now, helping the small people to start from scratch, too. And with this, the Filipino shall continue to be known throughout the world.

Democracy, indeed, has come a long way. Just like the Philippines. Changing the Constitution is not the solution for overhauling the economic and political stability of the nation. I agree, with what someone said, that our Constitution is still a "baby" in terms of growth and development, and it really is not yet the time to change the form of our government. Changing the constitution shall only worsen the already stinking situation of our country. What with the same people working "for the people"? What with all the corrupt people leading the nation, and with all the rich getting richer? What's left for the small? For us? Yes, we need character change. Not charter change.

May God bless us on our 109th year! It has been a challenge to reach this far. And it shall continue to be one, for the years to come.

No Work-Outs For Now

Last April was a hectic month -- I was in the morning shift, and I went straight to the gym afterwards, pumping lightweight iron dumbbells, trying on weight-resistance equipment, then finished 2 or more laps inside the grounds of the National Center for Mental Health in Mandaluyong (a few blocks away from where I stay). I was fit, yeah, sorta. Had my love handles to worry about, and I lost a lot of weight. It was the start of a promising lifestyle.

But May proved to be a challenging month for me, as our work schedule shifted gears from the am shift to the midshift, that is, 3.30pm to 1am (Manila time). I sleep a full 8-hour cycle, and the moment I wake up, the midday sun greets me in all its glory. The same sun which emits ultraviolet rays harmful to human health. As a result, I haven't had the chance to run nor lift any weights for the time being.

And let's just hope this doesn't bring out the pig in me.

Song Review: Signal Fire by Snow Patrol

Signal Fire by Snow Patrol
From Spider-man 3

The perfect words never crossed my mind,
'cause there was nothing in there but you,
I felt every ounce of me screaming out,
But the sound was trapped deep in me,
All I wanted just sped right past me,
While I was rooted fast to the earth,
I could be stuck here for a thousand years,
Without your arms to drag me out,

There you are standing right in front of me (x2)
All this fear falls away to leave me naked,
Hold me close cause I need you to guide me to safety

No I won't wait forever(2x)

In the confusion and the aftermath,
You are my signal fire,
The only resolution and the only joy,
Is the faint spark of forgiveness in your eyes,

There you are standing right in front of me (x2)
All this fear falls away to leave me naked,
Hold me close cause I need you to guide me to safety,

There you are standing right in front of me (x2)
All this fear falls away to leave me naked,
Hold me close cause I need you to guide me to safety,

No I won't wait forever(x3)

~*

The first time I heard this song, I felt weird. It was supposed to be a rock song -- the drums were thundering and the guitars were all-out. But here was the singer lamely singing, or was he mouthing the words? But no! The song is a WEIRD beautiful song, I realized. The singer was calm even if the music was loud. A perfect combination of melody and words, a love song. Especially when I found out about the lyrics.

This are my favorite lines:

The only resolution and the only joy,
Is the faint spark of forgiveness in your eyes

Ah! The feeling of being in love.

So what is a signal fire, anyway? It can refer to a smoke signal, used by the Native Americans and Chinese to create symbols from puffs of smoke brought about by a blanket over fire, enabling optical communication.

In the confusion and the aftermath,
You are my signal fire

I guess these lines convey that the main character of the song (the singer) sees his special someone as the savior of the day and the hero of his trials.

Basically, the song pretty much sums up as someone convincing another person of his unfailing love. A bunch of metaphors but with just the right taste, not overdone.

The perfect words never crossed my mind,
'cause there was nothing in there but you

Love is unexplainable. You don't have to make things up, you don't have to reason out. You don't have to expound on all the wonderful things that have been happening in your life. The most important thing is, enjoying every moment, and giving out your best shot to your special someone.