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I have my own opinion on the hostage crisis that turned into a bloody tragedy but I am not going to write about it. Nothing I say will change how the Philippines handle its affairs. It's a shame because the Filipino people are truly beautiful people - inside and out - and the Philippines has so much to offer but the government system and the corrupt government officials will always make it impossible for outsiders to even want to give the facts a chance. There is so much outrage from the Chinese people on what happened on Monday, but wait... History would tell you that China kills many of their own people every day. How long have they been a communist country again? They are generalising Filipino people and on a Facebook page, they even called Filipinos 'monkeys'. The last time I checked monkeys are one the most intelligents creature in the world. I can understand their anger but seriously people who generalise are the most stupid and idiotic in the world because they don't think at all. They should direct their outrage at the Filipino government officials and maybe that will get them up on their corrupt arses and do something good for once. I'll stop there.
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I watched an interview with Ms Gloria Diaz today and I was so chuffed to know that someone actually shares my opinion! She says "That's a good idea [to get an interpreter] because I think Venus thinks in Tagalog and answers in English". This suggestion was supported by an English professor of the University of the Philippines and I agree completely by what he said. He says that if we speak in our native tongue, whether that be Tagalog or Bisaya we would be able to express our thoughts and feelings better.
Look at Miss Mexico who won the title this year. She speaks English but she still chose to speak in Spanish and have an interpreter and therefore gave a brilliant answer to her question. She deserved the crown. In my honest opinion, Miss Philippines has the weakest answer by far in the top 5. She could have done better if the Filipinos are not so embarrassed to have an interpreter in international beauty pageants. I think that under extreme pressure it will really help a lot and give her a bit of time to think as well. I am not saying that Filipinos can't speak good enough English but being able to express yourself in your native tongue, using words you use everyday will greatly aid the candidates to do better and take some pressure off their chest. I have met some Filipinos here who kept speaking to me in English when we both know we speak better Tagalog and to be honest I can barely understand what they say in English because it is so literally translated that it does not make sense anymore so I answer them in Tagalog, which makes them answer back in Tagalog. My husband would often ask me why Filipinos try so hard to speak English when they understand each other better in Tagalog. When he reads some Facebook status in English, he chuckles and says "That doesn't make sense whatsoever." I remember watching an interview with John Lloyd Cruz where he said "Yes, it's us." That made me literally ROTFL. He was pertaining to him and a new girlfriend. He literally translated "kami na" which means "we're an item" or "yes, we are together". I don't know why to many Filipinos, speaking English is a social status symbol or a determination of one's intelligence. I know someone who has a Doctorate and she still gets her English grammar completely wrong and lots of other people who have University degree who, like Ms Gloria Diaz said, thinks in Tagalog and speaks in English. The result? Lost in translation. But they aren't dumb. My point is, if these people get it wrong, what hope is there for the average Filipino? If we use an interpreter in international pageants and contests, then maybe it will make Filipinos realise that it is absolutely OK to express yourself in Tagalog. I am lucky to have grown up around a British father and a mother who loves to read English books, even though she writes her own novels in Tagalog :-) but I still speak a lot of Tagalog even around my husband. I teach him Tagalog and even bought him some Tagalog Audio CDs. His favourite expressions have been "sige", "loko ka" and "ayoko" for the longest time. He even says "oo" instead of "yes". To me that is absolutely wonderful to hear my husband speak in Tagalog even though I am the only Filipino person that he knows.
I know a girl who tries so hard to speak in English even with me that I just answer her in Tagalog because what she says in English is a total WORD SALAD to me. Seriously. Whatever language you can speak, always choose the one in which you can express your thoughts best. Choose to speak the language that makes, not only your voice but most of all, your heart heard.
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