On the other side of the debate are those who believe that the current (dismal) level of proficiency in English among graduates already requires drastic measures. It might also be important to note that no one in the business community has come forward to categorically express unqualified support for EO 210. Even my own professional organization, the People Management Association of the Philippines which, by virtue of its stature as the national organization of human resource management practitioners in the country should be a key participant in the discussion, still has to come up with an official position on the matter.
However, insinuations that the business community prompted this latest wrinkle are running thick. In particular, some fingers are pointing at the call center industry which has been experiencing difficulty in finding graduates that meet its English proficiency requirements.
Hmmm... ewan ko lang kung nabasa na ni Bongbong yung isinulat na article ni fellow MST collumnist Peter Wallace, director of the Australian-NZ chamber of commerce sa Pilipinas.
‘Magandang araw, ito po si Glaiza, anong maipaglilingkod ko sa inyo?’
If you don’t know what that means, then join the 6.4 billion other people on this planet that don’t either.
“Hello, Glaiza speaking. How may I help you?”
Almost two billion people understand that. English is used by a quarter of the world’s population and is considered as the global lingua franca. It is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, diplomacy, and the Internet.
The English-speaking crowd is something the Philippines definitely wants, or at least should want to be, a part of. And Filipinos have already shown a remarkable ability to be conversant in the language. Specifically, the country is now number two in call centers in the region. From zero employees just six years ago, the industry now employs 145,000, and it’s not slowing down.
Well, actually it could for one simple, sad reason: there won’t be enough English-speaking, English-comprehending Filipinos to hire.
So it’s a very welcome development to see the President recognize the importance of reverting to English as the primary language of education. House Bill 4701 mandating this was passed in the House of Representatives. Let’s hope the Senate acts with equal dispatch. The administration takes the credit for pushing this piece of legislation.
katulad ng madalas sabihin ni instapundit, read the whole thing. so that you may understand why kuya manuel reacted negatively to wallace's article:
Much as I, too, favor increased attention and resources given to the promotion of English, it’s notions like those peddled by Peter Wallace that help discredit the proponents of the language.
Read the whole thing.
Previous: Peter Wallace needs to STFU.
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