The Essence of Teaching Filipino and Panitikan
Jasmin E. Francisco
The Memorandum Order 20 series of 2013 of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), also known as “General Education Curriculum Holistic Understandings, Intellectual and Civic Competencies", which declares the exclusion of Filipino and Philippine Literature as mandatory subjects in the general education curriculum in different colleges and universities stirred the emotions of several concerned citizens. Many expressed their disappointment with the said memorandum, even saying it is unconstitutional, but witnessing the strong sentiment of teachers, students, advocate groups, and even politicians regarding the decision only proved one thing. That is the fact that they recognize the importance of educating the students with the country's national language and beloved literature. This is because teaching Philippine Literature and Filipino is highly significant and fundamental for a variety of reasons.
First, these subjects foster an improved sense of national identity. In order to cultivate nationalism and patriotism in the consciousness of our students, they must have a good grasp of our language and literature. Being able to communicate with fellow Filipinos using the Filipino language while discussing what happened in "Ibong Adarna" and "Florante at Laura" heightens their sense of being a citizen of our nation. Likewise, our language and literature make us different from other countries, thus, these can better instigate national pride amongst our students as they vividly express their distinction from the rest of the world because they are uniquely Filipino.
The second reason is more of a technical reason. The conduct of Filipino in schools is the primary way to master "balarila" or the grammatical rules of our language. In this time where the majority of Filipinos do not know the difference between "nang" and "ng", the proper usage of the hyphen, etc., there is a necessity to edify them with these subjects. It is quite funny to think that it is easier for Filipinos to discern grammatical mistakes in English but not as keen on detecting errors in Filipino. In the same way, the profound significance of teaching Philippine literature is that it enhances the literary skills of the students by educating them different writing styles and rhetorical devices and by aiding them to become more creative and imaginative.
Lastly, teaching Philippine literature and the Filipino language is vital and necessary for cultural and identity preservation. If we stop educating the students about our language and our literature, should we expect our culture and national identity to thrive? Our language can only be preserved with continual promulgation and active usage. Teaching the students Filipino requires them to use it and using it in conversation results to familiarization. At the same time, the discussion of Philippine literature in the classroom strengthens the awareness and appreciation of the students in our vast culture and rich heritage. Panitikan offers students the opportunity to better understand our traditions, learn from our past, and embrace our Filipino roots. The more we inculcate our language and literature in the consciousness of the students, the more we enrich it. The more we cultivate it, the more we preserve it for the future generations of Filipinos to treasure and cherish.
The said reasons on why it is integral to teach Filipino and Panitikan only signify that there is a great need to amplify our requests to further strengthen the instruction, research, and development of the said subjects if we do not want to endanger our culture and if we do not want to end up being alienated to our own identity. After all, we are more than familiar with the insightful words our National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, left us, "Ang hindi marunong magmahal sa sariling wika ay higit pa sa amoy ng malansang isda."
--oOo-
The author is Teacher II at Pampanga High School