Juliana Marie PanesValencia City, Bukidnon, PhilippinesMs. Juliana Marie Panes - ELEMENTARY TEACHER
As a Filipino Tutor, I came from Philippines, you have to study the subject even if you’re a foreigner. Why? Because even if many Filipinos like me know and understand English, there are many of us who are comfortable to speak in Filipino especially in daily conversations.
Secondly, as the adage suggests, “Do what the Romans do.” Of course, if you are foreigner, it’s an advantage to speak to Filipinos in Filipino like what the Mormons do. Aside from that, there are words in Filipino which cannot be easily translated in English, or have exact translations in English like “pambahay” (clothes you find comfortable wearing at home), and kilig (that unique kind of feeling when you fall in love with someone, or you see someone who is attractive). In general, we Filipinos are fond of hearing foreigners who speak our own language like some Koreans and Americans do. Instead of us adjusting to them, they are one who adjust to us since they are aware of the fact that they live or stay in the Philippines.
Thirdly, as a Filipina, studying Filipino gives us a lot of benefits. One of those is it gives us our sense of identity as a country, as a nation and as a people. Sometimes, I envy some of our neighboring countries like Japan and Korea who give importance on studying their own language, though they are now in the process of learning the English language, especially the young ones, for them to be able to speak to other people who are not capable of speaking or learning their my language.
