That is only a Filipino subject then you still failed?

I also believe that intelligence or being smart can be based on the content that has sense and logical no matter if that is deep Filipino or any other languages. Because I could actually notice that there are people who are really good and fluent when they speak in English but if you think about the content it was just all about bragging, lame or non sense and of course illogical. They are just using that language to look good about themselves. I would honestly tell that those people who are doing that are the Filipinos that loathes themselves as one and can't be proud for being a Filipino. Another thing here was that I remember when I was a kid my father forces me to speak in English so that I could communicate with my cousins from US and other than that so that my cousin would treated me well to the extent that she wouldn't hate me that much. See? what the nerve! Sounds like I have to please my cousin that much? I just want to play with her but she refuses it because I don't speak in English. My mentality at that time is that why do we have to speak English here in the Philippines whereas the foreigners must learn it because it is their decision to be here. How come that we are always adjusting for people even if we go to other country we are still adjusting for them. That is the reason I can't encourage myself to speak English because sounds like I have to do that in order to please other people.

That has been ingrained in our culture when we were still a colony of Spain and then to a certain degree of America. During the Spanish time only the elite can speak spanish, but english was spoken everywhere because it is a relatively easy language to learn. Turn the table on him and speak to him in deep Filipino let us see if he can understand you. I am more impressed with a "Makata" than a child who speaks english. Speaking multiple languages is a sign of intelligence. being able to shift from one language to another flawlessly that is skill. But if you are limited to just english and could not even speak your native tongue thats is just sad

I really agree that children should appreciate our National Language. I remember my neighbor who is studying in ADMU right now that is fluent in English. More likely he really speaks English all the time rather than Tagalog. There was a time that he came here so I was able to speak in English with him but it happens that I mix it with Tagalog. Then on the other day when his grandmother went here again inside our house she brought up about her grandson of being fluent and good in English. However his grandmother told me that when I am talking with him I don't speaking English straight but I still mix it with Tagalog. Yes I know he is just a kid and of course I am not affected or offended about his comment but it made me think that it is like speaking in Filipino or Tagalog is bad and you are better when you speak in English. Sounds like there are people who really tend to equate fluency of English to intelligence but status symbol as well.

I'm sorry but I have to disagree with what you've said regarding the importance of Filipino language. I would have to repeat to you what you have said, that maybe your teacher is not good in teaching the subject because she obviously failed at making her students realize the value and importance of one's own language in his everyday life. And I agree on Metatronik's reply on the other hand.

I believe studying Filipino to classify the terms are still important to us and as Filipino we really have the right to learn it even the fact that some of us or most of us wouldn't use it for our job. However this can be useful for other Filipino writers or journalist who uses Tagalog terms when writing. Another factor here that includes in Filipino subject are the stories that they provide which we could learn the moral values with it. I remember that Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo was been part of syllabus in Filipino subject. I would take the credit of requiring us to learn so that we could give importance for the nationalism even though this wouldn't be not so important especially when we are in job. And again Filipino subject is still important however I agree that it wouldn't be much useful especially in business terms. Nowadays Call Center is the most popular in demand jobs that we have to speak in English. I would admit that here in the Philippines English is more useful and yet very important for the sake of our job.

Good thing you never encountered of failing the Filipino subject.

very well said! :) that was inspiring sir/ma'am. are you a professor? :) because you sound like one. thank you for you have COMPLETELY expressed some ideas I also had in mind which I failed to put into words (English words specifically) earlier and I also learned additional ideas from what you have said. I hope more Filipinos would be able to read this discussion and be... uhm, struck down by the lightning of nationalism and be enlightened. :D the way wrote everything just made me want to go back to college and take social studies and pi 100 classes again. :)

@heyshel: We have the same frustration about other people’s perspective when it comes to nationalism. I would just hope that all Filipino professors must be a good influence to appreciate the real beauty of being a Filipino and let the students feel also feel the appreciation of learning our national language. And you said it right that is my own observation too on how others treat our own language as INFERIOR and English as SUPERIOR. When you speak English fluently, it is not only they are equating it to intelligence but as a status symbol that you are belong to a high level with class society or a high profile person even an educated one. But when if a person speaks fluently in Tagalog or as long as English is not included it would be mean that a person is a low profile and can’t be same level with the educated person worst case if they thought that a person is cheap when using our own national language. They also treat the English as intimidating language. As far as I know we as a Filipino are the ones that are so conscious and fond of criticizing others when it comes to grammatical errors, sometimes they are using it as part of their rebuttals. Another annoying fact here is that they are also equating it to reflect on other person’s personality. I remember the gf of my bf’s close friend that we heated argument in some forums that the topic was all about if it is turn off when your boyfriend or guy uses wrong grammar. A lot of girls are bragging that they would be turned off if their bf or a guy has grammatical errors. It happens that my post was different that I wouldn’t mind it as long as the guy is a real gentleman it wouldn’t be matter. That girl was affected and frustrated of my post since it is different so she started the fight with me and gave me non sense rebuttals. It turned to the point that she wasn’t able to handle my rebuttals anymore since she already felt that she is just only losing. Well she is a call center agent that is why grammatical error is a big deal to her. Only to find out that she is using that language to over shadow her self esteem issues for a fact that she is not beautiful and her boyfriend seeks for another woman that even told my boyfriend that he is not contented with his gf since he is still longing for beauty and brain or a fabulous woman. Another fact about her is that she can’t even respect herself who is actually willing to be a doormat of her boyfriend. Then my boyfriend told me that they have already witnessed how cheap she is especially when she is with her boyfriend. My bf noticed it to her that she is a call center agent who is bragging about her fluency in English but then she can’t speak it properly like a call center agent in other terms she sounds as “barok”. Another story here, when I was in States then I have spoken to my cousin in Tagalog or Filipino when I asked her something. Then brag it like “What? I can’t understand?” So I translate it in English. But then I still find it hypocrite of her since the fact that she was born here she also stayed until 4 to 5 years old when she was been already talking a lot in Tagalog. When she was already in States it seems that she loathes herself as a Filipino. She really tends to equate the fluency and right pronunciation of English to intelligence and profile level. @wiseblood333: It is actually the problem to other people on how they treat their own culture as always basing it to the economic status. However I would also agree about the treatment of English into superior as part of requirement to the business world. Well I realized something about your example of “Mamahalin” that it has double meaning but then that could be depend on how the person use it properly in our own national language. I just noticed that we don’t really give much attention about the grammatical mistakes in using our native language but then are keep on using it. I agree with your point 5. I could really give example that Chinese are good in math while Japanese are really excellent when it comes to technologies. And again I really hate it when I am hearing other people that they say that a kid is good and smart just because he knows how to speak in English. Meaning if he only speaks in Tagalog or Filipino it couldn’t be determine that he is smart nor intelligent?

I was actually still a high school student at that time so even if they consider it as a minor subject then I am still giving importance to that Filipino subject. And as I said above there are classifications that I find it confusing. Then there was a story book that we required to read which I totally find it hard to understand the words in Filipino, meaning that is not the language that you are usually using it when you are talking with other people in Filipino language but I must say that this is about the linguistics. There are terms that are totally very deep to understand.

Well at that time it is not that we are not serious of Filipino subject but then of course our professor gave more challenge that it is already being too difficult. It was not the only language that she have taught but then it also includes other things that contains stories which sometimes it is complicated to understand. I would admit the fact that I was really confuse of some terminologies here in Filipino subject especially in classification.

Filipino subject is really just a counter part of having an English subject. Just like Filipinos who are not good at the subject, there are also Americans that are not good in English either :). If we want to make good in it, we have to put our hearts and minds in the subject. It's just a matter of memorizing anyway unlike Physics, math or chemistry where you have to do of analysis to solve a problem. Filipino is less complicated compared to those subjects.

But sometimes, that subject is only easy because the teacher is not really good at it/have not really mastered it or sometimes the quality of education a school gives doesn't really meet the standard of teaching a really GOOD and DECENT Filipino subject. (Hi. Please don't get me wrong. :) I am not saying that your teacher/school is the problem) Most Filipinos doesn't really speak good and correct Filipino language. I know because I've been to a good school and a not-so-good school and I can compare the difficulty of a specific subject they teach, especially Filipino! I also know because I came from a family of educators that are Spanish and Filipino Masters. (not boasting, just stating credits) The problem is, it's a common misconception to us Filipinos that just because we know how to speak Filipino, we would never fail a Filipino subject. Bear in mind that if it's really easy, there's no need to study the language and its technicalities. ;) Oh, and for the other Filipino readers out there, do most of you know that there are way too many Americans failing their English subject than Filipinos failing their Filipino subjects? ;) (I'm talking about the ratio, not the difference in population) So don't boast nor be ashamed about your performance. It happens to almost every country. Remember China? :) Kaya mga kababayan, huwag na nating maliitin ang wikang Filipino. Please lang. :) Hindi dapat natin sinasabi na Filipino LANG YAN. Come on, let us be proud! Hehe.

I am with you heyshel. At times it depends on the level and kind of Filipino subject that you are studying. I remember when I was in 3rd grade I got a high grade in Filipino even on the card. At that time it was easy not because I was still in elementary but our adviser is really good in teaching that she can tell the point. If your teacher is a perfectionist and a terror she really tends to torture the students that sometimes she is making too much twist to the point that you will be going crazy on thinking and thinking of what is the accurate answer and how to understand the terms that we are classifying. Based on my own experience I must say that most of the time the problem here is the our professor because sometimes they are making us confuse about the terms where in fact we could actually identify it. I remember the thing called as "Patinig and Katinig" which indeed it really confused me and now of course my knowledge about it fades already. Aside from that I remember the story book that we study I think that was Ibong Adarna. I would honestly tell that I find it too hard to comprehend those words that were used on that story. Good thing about it the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo were not like that when it was already written in Tagalog. And yes my Mom have even told me that there are Americans that are not good in grammar as well they really tend to have grammatical errors. Honestly we Filipinos are the ones who are really ashamed or would even laugh about other's grammatical errors in English.

I've never lived in any English only country but the English subject was never hard for me. O_o

i also agree with you, mumniralph :)

well, that's great!.. i think Filipinos are really good at it. Right?.. ^_^