Sham Language Appreciation

Marianne Magana | Aug 28, 2024

Hypocrisy has once again awakened in the country as we welcome the Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa. There could’ve been no better head start to this annual drill than a message from President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. that urged Filipinos to love the national language. Whereas every year comes with a different theme, however, it always meets the same end that once August ends, so too does the love for the Filipino language.

In celebration of this year’s Buwan ng Wika with the theme; Filipino: Wikang Mapagpalaya, everyone was seen with all hands on deck in promoting the significance of language nowadays in all forms possible. As usual, everyone’s baro’t saya, cheers from the pageants, the in-depth words in balagtasan, and the color-bursting posters filled the atmosphere for the so-called language appreciation. Although the same pattern has established the identity of how we celebrate our national language, there is more to be done than these mere superficial competitions and costumes.

What could be done more is to look for language appreciation beyond our August costumes. For instance, it can be seen in the 2023 English Proficiency Index (EPI) that the Philippines has, astoundingly, ranked 22nd globally. This makes us ironically attractive for business process outsourcing (BPO) companies that implement the strict use of English as a medium of business. However, this indicates the questionable place of the Filipino language in the field of economic progress which every passing Buwan ng Wika does not shed enough light on.

Perhaps, it is much worse to scrutinize the place of the Filipino language in students. From toddlers having difficulty speaking Filipino but can argue fluently in English, high schoolers being defined as intelligent and competent based on their English speaking skills, to college students focused on English subjects for them to be able to meet the global standards. These put in question the essence of the efforts made annually to celebrate our language while the real battle is out there, weakening the foundation of our vernacular language for future generations.

Although it is commendable to know that a survey from the Social Weather Stations (SWS) in 2023 revealed that at least three out of four adult Filipinos, or 75%, are competent with the Filipino language. In such a sense, it is a relief that Filipino remains to be the language of the masses amidst the challenges globalization throws at it. There is no doubt that this could be the better-celebrated perspective rather than the hypocritical norm of full glamor but with no value that we are stuck on.

Despite these challenges, Buwan ng Wika remains vital for celebrating our cultural identity and historical appreciation. It is just that once a year, we ought to honor the language by remembering the past. This is the bare minimum of what the current generation can do compared to what our ancestors endured for our freedom. 

But still, the unrequited efforts of our national heroes will be put more in vain if it is neglected while we chase global progress. Spending a month full of hypocrisy and continuing to the next with our mother tongue pushed aside will never be defined as a meaningful celebration but rather a more refined sign of stagnant development.

The true celebration of our language requires more than a single month of focus. It doesn’t even need to be formally scheduled for performances or costumes when we know that it is empowered enough in all aspects. The celebration may have the engagement of Filipinos every August but it doesn't mean that the problems stop there. It occurs all year round, every single day.

Thus, it is timely for all Filipinos to be free from these hypocritical and pretentious gestures to address the continuous weakening of not just the Filipino language, but also the languages of the regions. The sham appreciation we annually offer is a waste of everything when it is only for a month and we go to another not addressing the genuine struggles faced by the Filipino language.