August is the month for honouring our national language, Filipino. It’s the time of the month where we celebrate the “Buwan ng Wika” or for some “Linggo ng Wika”. This is accompanied with songs, dances, stage plays and poems that are all in Filipino.
But why do we have to learn Filipino?
For eight year old, Ram Cosmo from Maria Montessori International School, he says “So that we (children) will be able to know how to speak our national language”. Yet, just like all other children, he finds it difficult to learn.
According to Teacher Ryan Jore, Filipino Elementary and High School Teacher from Benedicto College, “Most of the students are really having a hard time learning Filipino, given the fact that most of them are required to speak English now that more schools are adopting the “English Only Policy” or EOP.” He also added that, “Our own dialect is also a factor”.
Whether or not it has been difficult from the start, as Filipinos and as the children of today, we must open our options to learning our national language. Quit thinking that it is hard to master! It’s a matter of practice and appreciation. That is why we set aside a month just for this.
Buwan ng Wika is a month long celebration of our national language. It is more than the songs, dances, and presentations on stage – it is about learning to love Filipino and the Philippines. Surely our school has laid out different activities and programs for this month. Don’t hesitate to join! Be part of this celebration and take to heart all that you’ll be doing. Then you’ll learn to love Filipino as it is.
Our national language is a very colourful one and indeed isn’t very hard to learn. Filipino can easily be learned if we have fun! So let’s celebrate August with a “Masigarbong palakpakan!” as we make way for Buwan ng Wika.
First published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper, August 7, 2011
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