Vice Ganda speaks up on removal of Filipino, Panitikan as core college subjects

Image: Instagram/@praybeytbenjamin

Much noise has surrounded the Supreme Court’s decision of declaring the K-12 program constitutional, which renders Filipino and Panitikan (Philippine Literature) excluded from the core subjects in college.

From professors to lawmakers, many have surely given their take. Celebrities’ sentiments, too, are not unheard in the issue, as the likes of comedian Kakai Bautista, and now Vice Ganda, have also given their opinion regarding the court’s decision.

Vice Ganda used noontime variety show “It’s Showtime” last Nov. 14 as his platform to share his thoughts, going back and forth with co-host Vhong Navarro on the matter. Navarro, at one point, told Vice Ganda that kids these days are more inclined to speak English.

“Eh kasi ngayon diba sabi ko nga sayo yung mga kabataan ngayon hindi na nila alam yung ibig sabihin ng Tagalog, lahat alam nila English,” Navarro said.

(Isn’t it that these days, like I’ve told you, children no longer know what Tagalog means, all they know is English.)

Vice Ganda echoed Navarro’s sentiments, saying that some would even ask what panitikan means.

“Pag sinabing panitikan, ano ba yung panitikan? Mas alam yung literature kesa sa panitikan,” said Vice Ganda. “At tsaka ang daming college students na mas magaling mag Ingles kesa managalog at mag Filipino.”

(When we say panitikan, what is that? Literature is better known over panitikan. And there are so many college students who are better in English compared with their fluency in Tagalog or Filipino.)

He then posed the question whether Filipinos truly know the Filipino language or not: “Ang Pilipino ba talaga ay alam na alam na talaga ang lahat, ang pasikut-sikot tungkol sa wikang Filipino o hindi ba?”

(Is Filipino truly already known by all? The intricacies of the Filipino language, or not yet?)

He also brought up the matter of the Korean language being taught in public high schools, as per a memorandum of agreement that the Department of Education and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea signed last June 2017.

“Masakit pa diyan kaya maraming tumatalak kasi tatanggalin daw yung Filipino pero iniisip nilang isama ang Korean language para pag-aralan.”

(What is even more painful, and why a lot are making noise, is that Filipino will be allegedly removed while Korean is being considered to be taught.)

For Vice Ganda, it seemed as if learning other languages is prioritized, even though he said that there is nothing wrong in learning a language different from one’s own.

Navarro, on his end, brought up other people’s false notion that a person is more classy if they speak in English, one that Vice Ganda called nothing but a load of “kag*guhan” (silliness).

In the end, Vice Ganda expressed his hopes that the issue be looked into and studied more closely, saying, “Pag-aralan sana, pag-aralan kung ano talaga ang makakabuti.” (I hope it gets studied; I hope [the authorities] get to analyze what would really be for the good.)

Meanwhile the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) last Nov. 14 stated that it will be looking into the Supreme Court’s decision of excluding the subjects from the college curriculum.

Their statement comes after various group’s plans on working to reverse the ruling came to light, arguing that CHEd violated the Organic Act of the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino, the Education Act of 1982, and the Organic Act of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

The Supreme Court, however, stated that the groups’ allegations that CHEd removed the subjects were “incorrect.” As per the court, the changes in the core subjects were done to ensure that Filipino and Panitikan will not be duplicated in grade school, high school and college. JB

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