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“Breaking Barriers Thru English”
In my short term as Councilor of San Fernando City, I have been invited to speak at various events and activities. Just last August, I was at a Buwan ng Wika, Linggo ng Wika and an Araw ng Wika. This is the first time I’ve actually taken part and been to an English Festival. Which is good because the speech I’ve prepared today is actually in English.
Globalization has brought to the fore the need for an international language. Because the internet has made the world a smaller place, English is pinpointed as the medium of communication among countries, between cultures and within communities. In La Union, a significant number of the work force is based abroad, either as nurses, teachers, domestic helpers or seamen. The bulk of our tax income comes from tourist establishments. These are a sure sign that the Philippines has ventured into the global arena.
Among the Asian countries, the Philippines is considered as the most literate in terms of the English language. Because of this, our human resource is a prime commodity in the world market. By nurturing this alien tongue and integrating it into our daily lives, we are taking care of our most valuable resource.
It is only fitting that contests for poetry and essay writing, spelling bees, declamation, etcetera are being held. How else to develop and cultivate the preference and comfort in the English language? I believe that there are some of your teachers who would rather teach in the native tongue. However, as with many other things, language proficiency and understanding takes practice and that is probably why English is the mode of instruction for subjects like Science and Math. These fields of studies are universal and therefore should be learned in a universal way.
Let me tell you a story about Manny Pacquiao. Pacman used to live in a village in Kimbawe, Bukidnon a lot smaller than this town. His early...