There have been conflicting perspectives about what medium of instruction should be used in schools. One side pushes for English, while the others urge the use of mother tongues, specifically Filipino, to help students understand their school lessons better.
Rather than debating on what language to use, isn’t it better to make necessary adjustments and changes to the education system that would benefit both the learners and the educators?
I’m no educator, but I believe that students should use the language that they comprehend best and are comfortable with to better grasp the knowledge their teachers hope to impart. And it is not just about school. Whether it is writing, reading, or speaking, every person has the right to use the language she or he is comfortable with in every aspect of life.
“Filipino writers should write in the language they are most comfortable with, but there is a need to translate works written in English and other Philippine languages into the national language Filipino,” said Prof. Joi Barrios-Leblanc.
She believes that it is the writer’s responsibility to not only promote and preserve Philippine language and culture “but to constantly interrogate it, to look into how aspects of culture (like folk literature) can be used to engage in gender, class, and race.”
“We need to study folk songs like ‘Magtanim Ay Di Biro,’ but at the same time talk about land ownership, land reform, and [other] issues faced by peasants and peasant workers. We need to learn stories such Ang Pagong and connect that to homelessness, displacement, and the need for public housing for the urban,” she enthused.
This was how she presented Filipino short stories in her book Tagalog Stories for Language Learners (TSLL), the fifth book in a series of textbooks for Filipino language learners. Published by Tuttle Press, it is preceded by Tagalog for Beginners (2011), Intermediate Tagalog (2015), Easy Tagalog (with Julia Camagong, 2015), and the Tuttle Concise Tagalog Dictionary (2017), with co-editors Nenita Pambid-Domingo and Romulo Baquiran Jr.
“As a teacher of Filipino to heritage learners, I wanted to have reading materials to improve their vocabulary, review their grammar, and learn more about Philippine culture, history, and contemporary issues,” said Prof. Barrios-Leblanc who emphasizes critical pedagogy in language teaching she practices with her colleagues Cynthia Aban and Karen Llagas at the University of California Berkeley.
The book is her answer to a specific challenge that educators encounter in teaching Filipino language and culture.
“Usually, when learners are directed to short stories, using concrete or simple language, all they have are stories for children. I wanted my students to read stories that were more age-appropriate (and interesting for college students and older learners),” she shared.
Additionally, she wanted to engage them with folklore, “not to look at them in an exoticizing way, but to interrogate them as well, realizing that what was oral literature is now ‘fixed’ when published in a book.”
The book derives a lot from folklore but the author chose stories that readers can relate to. She also included classic stories re-written so that they can be level-appropriate for learners.
“We cannot just read about Malakas at Maganda without looking at its many versions, and how it was referenced during the Marcos presidency, how it has been translated into dance pieces looking at gender issues, and even into film.”
Other stories featured in the book also tackle contemporary issues: Ang Mga Susi (The Keys) which is about a domestic worker, Kerida (Mistress), and Ang Suspetsa (Suspicion) which are stories on relationships from a woman’s point of view; and Ang Wakwak Queen ng Bundok Diwata (The Wakwak Queen of Mt. Diwata), which celebrates the life of a brave and funny LGBTQ red fighter who was as skilled in wedding planning as he was in planning tactical offensives.
Prof. Barrios-Lebanc is also launching her other book, Sa Aking Pagkadestiyero/In My Exile (SAP), a poetry book in Filipino with English translations.
Told from the point of view of a migrant constantly engaged in what is happening in the Philippines, the book has four sections. The first tackles about the author’s views on pressing issues; the second section pays tribute to those who have passed on. Third section is about contemporary issues vis-a-vis the author’s experience as a street theater artist in the early 1980s, and the fourth section contains songs the author has written.
“Writers should be engaged in whatever way possible in contemporary issues – learning more, writing about these issues, or being involved in social justice campaigns,” said the author.
The book launch will be on August 6, Saturday, 4:00 p.m. at the University Hotel in UP Diliman. It will be a gathering of writers and friends, with stellar performances from esteemed artists including Rody Vera, Arman Ferrer, Astarte Abraham, Rica Saturay-Palis, Joel Lamangan, Bibeth Orteza, Bonifacio Ilagan, and Shamaine Centenera-Buencamino, hosted by Noel Ferrer, and Stella Canete.