Filipinos and Speaking English

This morning, I was watching the morning show in my favorite channel. The mail anchor was talking to a Claretian priest, Fr. Calvo, who's based in Zamboanga. They were talking about the release of Fr. Bossi who was held captive by a Moro group in Basilan. (I would identify that group if government finally had a definitive answer to the issue, but what government has said has been denied... anyway, back to the conversation of the newscaster and the priest.) Apparently, the priest Fr. Calvo had a foreign accent, but the anchor kept speaking to him in Tagalog. Fr. Calvo understood the questions but replied in English. It made me wonder then whether the anchor didn't realize that the priest was a foreigner.

Fast forward to the anchor's interview of Fr. Bossi. Now this anchor is big-time in the network, and talking to a freshly released kidnap victim should not be delegated to a lesser mortal, I guess, so he was charged with talking to Fr. Bossi. Again, the anchor spoke to him in Tagalog. But Fr. Bossi said, apologetically, "I'm sorry I don't know Tagalog." Wow, the anchor truly groped for words then. He asked one question which was rather stiffly phrased after which the female anchor took over, more adeptly.

My point is this. It's not bad to speak only Tagalog well, that's nationalistic and all that. But if you're in the broadcast industry, you should be able to speak good English because what happens if your subject cannot speak Tagalog as happened this morning? I found the experience sad, disappointing. I know the nationalists won't like my stance but I don't think speaking fluent English makes one less of a Filipino.

Are Filipinos lazy? Why don't people in broadcasting bother to study English if they are inadequate in the language? Too old to study? I don't think that should be a factor. Yao Ming, an NBA player from China, used to need an interpreter when he started out in the US. Now he speaks English without any qualms. On the other hand, this anchor I wrote about was exposed to the English language since the early grades, I guess, because even public schools in the country teach English. I also know for a fact that he studied in a private Catholic school for college. Sad... I hope his experience this morning will make him sit up and decide to study how to conduct interviews in English. Sure he has a masa image and all that, but he should also set the example to the people he may claim to cater to that like him (should he finally decide to), they can also learn to speak English and other new things. It will only help them get ahead...

I hope should he somehow learn of this observation of mine, he won't take umbrage. My respect for him hasn't diminished at all. I'm just saddened that he hasn't done anything about this weakness of him when it shouldn't be a problem. He's not dumb, after all.