“He who does not love his own language is worse than an animal and smelly fish.” – Jose Rizal, Philippine’s National Hero.

Have you ever been a country where no one speaks your language? Have you even been in a country where English is not that popular? Have you ever had a conversation with someone who doesn’t completely speak your language? Were you able to understand them or you end up choosing to speak with someone who would understand what you exactly say?

I was born in the Philippines and my mother tongue is Kapampangan, it’s one of the many dialects used in our country. Our national language is Tagalog. We use Tagalog to understand all the Filipinos all over the country regardless what their dialects are. I was taught Tagalog in school because in our house, we use Kapampangan. It is essential for a Filipino to learn the language because it is what we use to communicate to each other.

But throughout the years, I have noticed that children who were naturally born Filipino are well-versed in speaking English rather than Tagalog. I have met people who was never taught Tagalog in their household just because English is more appropriate to learn because it is used as universal language and well, in my country, speaking English gives you lots of advantage. English makes a Filipino sound smart.