pilipinos always speaking english

if that mayor is from dumaguete then maybe he responded in english because maybe he can't speak tagalog since the language in dumaguete is bisaya. in dumaguete most people living here can understand tagalog but not most of them can speak tagalog fluently and accurately. and many can't understand tagalog.

If you will ask me, I'd rather ask senator MDS and all of our legislators to change our national language from Filipino based in Tagalog to English. Why? Please read all the responses you have gotten.

Do not get angry just because he does not speak Tagalog. We really cannot judge him. It depends on the location and another is everything has its own reason. Maybe he does not know how to speak Tagalog or he just want to practice English or he is in tv because most politicians speak English too if they are in mass media. That is what we call 'reality bytes' My cousin always speaks English because it is difficult for her to talk tagalog with people she encounter outside from home and she knew that we also cannot understand Cebuano so, she speaks English. There is nothing we can do about it. We are been colonized by American. Well American is better than Spaniards because Spaniards is the one who abuses Filipino and that is why Jose Rizal saves us from the abusive Spaniards. We really cannot force them to speak Tagalog if they do not know how to speak Tagalog. I think, speaking English is a easy way for them rather to speak Tagalog because I still remember what my cousin told me. Tagalog subject is a lot difficult for her to study than English subject. Ha ha. We really cannot blame them. Tagalog subject is like a math subject for them. By the way, have you watched tv in cable channel? I forgot the number channel in cable but last night, I watched those politicians that speak English to each other. It is about the empeachment trial, something like that. They too, speak English but they do not speak Tagalog as well. Although we remain Filipino culture, we have been mixed by American culture too. We really cannot ignore it. I still remember this one. I have also watched a video about one politicians here in the Philippines that he got furious with a politicians from other countries. The reason is they talk in Tagalog. He's reading something on a paper written in a pure Tagalog because they cannot speak Tagalog and the politicians from the Philippines told him to speak English. Ha ha.

I am sorry but I find that fine with me. Not all Filipinos understand Tagalog but I am sure, most of us understand the English Language. It is already our second language, and I do not see anything wrong with that. Probably the mayor has his speech prepared in English already.

Visayans have difficulty expressing themselves in Tagalog. I have friends in Cebu and they prefer to talk in English because they are not very fluent in the national language. You should be glad that we Filipinos are fluent in the English language since that is one of the reasons for the growth in tourism. Similarly, our ability to write well in English has enabled us to participate in these sites where English is the medium.

it happens that i saw Pacman on the local news just this morning... the reporter asked him in Bisaya, but he is answering in Tagalog... it's like i want to poke him on tv and say, Hey Pacman, have you forgotten that you are from Gensan? is being a celebrity makes you forget about your native tounge?

I would say that I would get irritated if a Filipino living in Manila keeps on answering back in English even if you're conversing in our native tongue. I don't know the mayor of Negros, but one reason that I see and might be the reason why he is answering back in English is because as you know Negros has their own Visayan dialect. If you watch the residents affected by the earthquake, when asked in tagalog by the news reporters they answer back in Visayan and those who try to speak tagalog have some words mixed up that the news reporter would translate for them. Hypocrisy for me is that call center dude trying to speak with an American twang while buying donuts at a 24/7 convenience store. Hypocrisy are those sipping coffee at Starbucks trying to look cool, smoking and speaking English as if they're elite. There was one time that this girl (I don't know if she works in the call center industry or just plain trying hard) was ahead of me in the line at one fastfood joint. My blood curdled because she was trying to sound foreign, but I wanted to bash her head in because I know she isn't because of her grammar. Not because you can sound American means you can pass for one. I have worked in the call center industry for nine years and you can never catch me speaking English to the balut vendor or Manong Magtataho like so many people I see.

i agree to some of those who responded here. even if you learn a certain dialect from school or a community, you will find it more comfortable to answer questions or give your reactions from the heart when you are speaking in your mother tongue. in my own experience, i also prefer to speak in tagalog, even when i am already leaving here for almost 20 years. i learned how to speak bisaya, particularly cebuano because people here used to tell us, people from outside bisayas to learn and speak their language as if they (the bisayan people) come to manila, they talk in tagalog. i speak their language and communicate even with my boss, in cebuano dialect. but time comes i have to speak in my mother tongue because i can express my true feelings or i can tell the words that come from my heart. people used to misinterpret me too when i speak in cebuano. sometimes, i talk and i thought it's the right translation.

Hi SimplyD! I remember the first time that I visited CDO, where people are using Visayan Dialect, I feel so bad that they are not talking to me in Tagalog which is my mother tongue, it even irritates me when some of them are talking in their dialect and laughing while I am in front of them, i don't know what they are talking about and it does makes me think of them as rude people...hehe Anyway, I asked my husband about such thing and he told me that when they are in their place, they are just not really feel comfortable talking in Tagalog. I don't really know why, No that i am living here in Cebu, I still have the same observation, you know, when there's one Cebuano who speaks in Tagalog, sometimes other people are teasing him, sometimes you will hear some people saying that only because you went to manila, you now forget how to speak Cebuano? something like that. But they don't talk that way when they hear them talking in English...haha I wonder why...lol! I believe that all of us here in the Philippines should know how to speak in our national language which is Filipino, but there's nothing wrong in speaking in English and using our regional dialects as well. That's just my opinion.

I don't think it's bad though from my own opinion some areas in the Philippines find it hard to speak in Tagalog so as a result they turn to English as well.And being interviewed live it's just a gesture to be more professional and being courteous.Don't get annoyed if you hear a certain individual who is trying his/her best to speak in English we have to remember that all of us, before we learned to speak English we were on their same shoe right and it's not that bad though.We should be proud that some of the Filipinos have the guts to speak English and the best learners are those who are "trying hards " as far as I could remember my trainer would say...:)

I personally think that it is not fair for "Visayans" to be forced to learn to speak "Filipino/Tagalog" because if they do, then they would have to master 3 languages.. Bisayan, Filipino and English..

I think the reason why he does that is because he couldn't speak Tagalog well. People from Negros Oriental speak Ilonggo, it's very difficult to speak Tagalog for us. It's like tongue twister. English, on the other hand, just slides normally. So i think that's why he was answering in English. But for those fluent in Tagalog, i must agree with you that when one is addressed in TAgalog, one must answer it in Tagalog too.

I agree with those who respond that maybe the mayor is having difficulty in speaking tagalog because of his different dialect. I also knew some folks from visayas who do that. Some don't want to get laugh at when speaking "bisaya" so they express themselves in english

I saw that very same interview by Jessica Soho. We also couldn't understand (at first) why the gentleman from Negros wouldn't answer Ms. Soho in the vernacular. We thought him rude in the beginning. But then, I thought, that maybe the man wasn't comfortable with his tagalog/ pilipino and felt it was easier for him to just answer in English. But still, he should've excused himself from the very start, if that were the case. Oh well!

I read all the responses and we do all have varying opinions. But the good thing about myLot is that is allows everyone to his own opinion. I think the bottom line in speaking is not so much the language one chooses but the ability to be able to speak ones mind and communicate ones thoughts. I think it is much better for all if we speak in a manner that is understandable, after all isn't communication the goal of every language? If one is unable to communicate his thoughts, no matter what the chosen language, I think we would all end up as the peoples in the tower of Babel. Cheers everyone!

Well, humorously you are faced with an award winning news reporter so why the resistance speaking english. As they always say, we are the "global Filipino" . It sounds crazy but the mayor could have worried more if he spoke broken tagalog and it would be a shame for his fellow Visayans that viewers in Manila assume them as funny speakers of tagalog. I wouldn't do that, seriously.

Hi there simplyd, Well I guess people are just like that, they try to work in a way that will make them feel better than themselves, it is understandable why he is doing that since usually this kinds of shows are broadcasted to the world, but he should have spoken in our local language he could have answered Jessica's question much better and not made a fool out of himself, I like this topic it is very patriotic. I hope we can be like Korea japan and china they mind being listened to or watched by the world but they use there own language so that there people will understand them and be more attentive to local issues compared to if government officials speak in English most of the time people loose interest in what they are tackling about. So let's go local and speak our local tongues in local assembly's right in TV locally shown or internationally. right???

I have observed this trend in Philippines. I have friends from Visayas who have a very good command in English and fluent while I find most of Filipinos from Manila or other provinces shy away from speaking English and prefer Tagalog. I think this is the same case with the mayor and he is much more comfortable when speaking English.

Lol chill mga repapips and sisters! Lets not go all cynical and agitated with this mayor from Negros Oriental. I think the main reason why he conversed in English with Jessica Soho is that he is a Bisaya/Visayan and as far as i observe Bisaya or Bisdaks have difficulties in communicating through Tagalog(Im not saying they are good in English), when i was young i heard my friends mother talking Tagalog with a stranger(she was a pure bisaya) and she sounds funny... I mean pa as if... It should have been better if he just answered in bisaya and the team of Jessica Soho would add English subtitles so that it can be understood.But i think its his own choice and we don't want Jessica Soho saying "Pwede bang mag bisaya ka nalang para mas maganda may subtitles".

like some answers here, it is difficult for them to speak tagalog dialect..we must understand that. They can understand it, yes, but speaking it is not easy. Sometimes it our mentality that we think Tagalog is the basic dialect that one must speak...that it is the superior dialect in our country.What if the philippine capital is cebu, would you think Tagalog will be the dialect to speak generally? Guess we will have a hard time responding to them and even undestanding the interviewers, right?