Asst. Prof. Deborrah S. Anastacio (upper left), Dr. Jayson de Guzman Petras (upper right), and Assoc. Prof. Gerard P. Concepcion (center) discussed the Filipino language in the context of the internationalization of education.
The 12th episode of the University of the Philippines Open University’s (UPOU) OPEN Talk featured a discussion on the Filipino language in the context of the internationalization of education. This was held on 18 August 2021 from 6 PM to 7 PM via the UPOU Networks and UPOU Networks – Multimedia Center Facebook Page.
Assoc. Prof. Gerard P. Concepcion from the Departamento ng Filipino at Panitikan ng Pilipinas, Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura of UP Diliman, and Asst. Prof. Deborrah S. Anastacio from the Departamento ng Filipino, Kolehiyo ng Malalayang Sining of the De La Salle University served as the resource persons. Dr. Jayson de Guzman Petras, Associate Dean for Research, Creative Writing, and Publication, Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura of UP Diliman, and Affiliate Faculty of the Faculty of Education, UPOU, served as the moderator.
Asst. Prof. Deborrah S. Anastacio began the discussion by confirming that most of her students are having a hard time using the Filipino language. Filipino is not part of their daily conversations, especially those who come from private schools which put more emphasis on the use of the English language. She recognized the importance of Filipino classes as well as resources using the Filipino language in social media and television. She applauded Filipinos abroad who continue to use our national language and encourage their children to speak the language. She reminded everyone not to forget the Filipino language since this is our language and our identity as Filipinos. She also mentioned that the type of education the student receives has a big impact on the student’s ability to speak the Filipino language. As part of her closing message, Asst. Prof. Anastacio encouraged the teachers not to be too strict in teaching the Filipino language and hoped for laws that will promote the teaching and practice of our national language.
Assoc. Prof. Gerard P. Concepcion assessed his students’ attitude and proficiency in the Filipino language and categorized them into those who consider Filipino as just one of the minor subjects and those who see Filipino as an active and dynamic language. He expressed dismay at the decline in the number of people who patronize our language, and inferred that this is due to the choice of language used at home and the education received from private schools. He stated that a different scenario can be observed when you visit other countries where foreign schools offer Filipino language courses to their students. In South Korea, for instance, where he served as a visiting professor for almost two years, Dr. Concepcion learned that the Koreans study the Filipino language in schools, which is contradictory to some of the Filipinos who don’t speak the language. He revealed that some of those who study our language are those who were able to visit our country and fell in love with the Filipino culture; those who plan to work and live in the Philippines, and those who are considered “Kopino”–children of Koreans and Filipinos–and have a heritage factor why they study our language.
In terms of the intellectualization of the Filipino language, Dr. Concepcion believed that our national language is considered intellectualized because it is already adopted in different journals, used as a medium of instruction in classes and in research, and utilized as medium of discussion in several topics and discourses in the fields of psychology, philosophy, and anthropology, among others. He reminded teachers to look for reasons to encourage and motivate students to study the Filipino language. He also mentioned that the government has an essential role in promoting and protecting our national language, such as the establishment of Filipino Institutes that will focus on the study of our national language. As his concluding message, Dr. Concepcion reminded the viewers not to suppress one language in order to promote another language.
Dr. Jayson de Guzman Petras had the same views as Asst. Prof. Anastacio and Dr. Concepcion. He acknowledged that there are some private institutions that require students to use and master the English language instead of the Filipino language. He shared his experience at the University of Lisbon in Portugal where students tapped the assistance of the Philippine Embassy in Lisbon in order to be exposed to and gain some insights on the Filipino language. He reminded everyone that the everyday Filipino is different from the Filipino used in research, journals, and other academic materials. Dr. Petras shared that UP Diliman, in an effort to promote different languages in the Philippines, offered language courses on Ilokano, Bicolano, Kapampangan, and Cebuano, to name a few. He ended the discussion by encouraging everyone to support House Bill 223 and Senate Bill 1838 which are campaigning for the mandatory status of Filipino and Literature subjects in the college level.
This episode of OPEN Talk was organized by the UPOU Multimedia Center and the Faculty of Education as part of its EDUkussion Fora. You may watch the recording of the discussion at UPOU Networks and UPOU Networks – Multimedia CenterFacebook Page.
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Written by Jaime O. Guimbao
Edited by Joane V. Serrano and Anna Cañas-Llamas
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