By Lily O. Ramos
MANILA, Aug. 19 (PNA) — The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) awarded plaques to winners of different contest categories for this year at the Sulo Riviera Hotel in Quezon City on Wednesday.
”This date also commemorates (President Manuel) Quezon Day in honor of the father of our national language — Filipino,” said one of the awardees, Mark Anthony Angeles, first prize recipient of the Parangal Para sa KWF Gawad sa Sanaysay.
Bayani Santos Jr. and Dorothy Javier, second and third placers, respectively, could only agree, saying, “We should love our language since it is the closest to our spiritual, physical and emotional expression.”
”There’s no other language that can give us our fullest entity than Filipino which is now being taught abroad in our embassies and big educational institutions. We must appreciate and love it for we have only one country — the Philippines which is home to Filipino language,” said Santos.
In a speech read by KWF Director General Roberto Anonuevo for journalist, educator and scientist Isagani R. Cruz, president of the Manila Times College, he said that “our country is the only place where we celebrate a month of language, unlike in Germany, the US, England and other countries with much older civilizations.”
The ailing Cruz rued the fact that the present generation does not fully love Filipino because even in schools, academic subjects are not taught in Filipino which is best understood by the majority of our people.
”We must live and breathe in our own language wherever we are, whether we are in the high offices or within our closest environment. Let’s not make it a sort of ‘Chika Lang’, especially when our children whom we want to cultivate nationalism and love for our land are around,” said Cruz.
On the lighter side, composer, folklore singer and musician Noel Cabangon obliged the audience with a song he composed, entitled “Filipino Ito,” and followed by a lively Ilocano love song (Sika Laeng) to the delight of the crowd.
The KWF chorale also provided entertainment with local songs and a dance number with Philippine music as background.
Awardeees in the Paggawad sa mga Ulirang Guro sa Filipino of the National Capital Region were Oliver B. Borromeo of the Manila Science High School, Geraldo B. Jumawan of Quezon City’s Lagro High School, Roberto B. Lacayanga of the Nueve de Febrero Elementary School and Emma Urika A. Sabado of San Antonio National High School.
Those honored in the Paggawad sa Kampeon ng Wika were Gloria Alday, Rosa Maria Magno and Noel Cabangon.
Ang Paggawad sa Dangal ng Wika went to Leonida B. Villanueva and Florentino T. Timbreza who also delivered the Tugon ng Dangal ng Wikang Filipino.
Deputy Governor of the Monetary Stability Sector of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Diwa C. Guinigundo handed the plaques to the winners. (PNA)