WAS THERE A LANGUAGE PROBLEM

I. WAS THERE A LANGUAGE PROBLEM DURING THE SPANISH ERA?

1. LANGUAGE PROBLEM.

Indeed, was there a language problem during the Spanish era?
The answer is in the negative: There was none.
This is so because the early Spaniards that came to the Philippine Islands were not economic plunderers nor language neocolonialists, in the same sense and manner that the contemporary U.S. WASPs appear to be, as shown, wittingly or unwittingly, by their own policies, actions and politico-sectarian agenda.


2. TWO KINDS OF AMERICANS?

There are, indeed, two kinds of Americans. The negative kind who is the bigoted intolerant WASP sectarian neocolonialist and his local lackeys, and, the positive one who sincerely believes in the equality and freedom of all the other nations of the world. It is, however, sad to observe that it is the negative kind that presently prevails due to the uncanny triumph, even if temporary, of evil over the just.
Thus, it is through reportedly C.I.A. subsidized Protestant missionaries, and their Filipino lackeys in education, that aggressively exert, out of purely sectarian-neocolonial motives, a highly questionable and decidedly harmful influence over the curricula of the educational system being paid for by Filipino tax-payers. To wit:

[“x x x evangelical missionaries are the most dedicated U.S. presence in the Third World. This fact has not been lost on their (U.S.) Government, which subsidizes mission relief and technical aid through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Nor has it been lost on the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Following exposure on church protest (and a U.S. Congress investigation,GGR), in 1976 the CIA said it would stop recruiting missionary (SIL?) collaborators. (Therefore, the CIA, used to do so. GGR) A proposed CIA charter would prohibit paid use of U.S. missionaries (a violation of the U.S. Constitution on Separation of Church and State, GGR.) but permit voluntary contacts or voluntary exchange of information. (The word voluntary here could be the loophole to the prohibition. GGR) P. 8, of the book “Fishers of Men or Founders of Empire?: The Wycliff Bible Translators (Summer Institute of Linguistics-SIL) in Latin America” by David Stoll, ZED Press, London, 1982.”]

x x x To avoid Catholic and anticlerical opposition, Wycliffe went to the field under the name of the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL). By claiming to be primarily a scientific research organization, it was able to obtain official contracts and cultivate government authorities, whose support usually protected it from expulsion, but also guaranteed a new controversy within a few years.” (The Invasion of the Sects in Latin America, a chapter from “Is Latin America Turning Protestant?, page 17)

“Army World Service Office, which was receiving 44 percent ($3.1 million of $7.1 million). The World Releif Corporation obtained 25 percent of its budget from USAID in 1983-1984 ($3.1 million of $12.5 million). Food for the Hungry 9 percent ($9 million of $10 million), and World Vision on the order of 6 percent ($9.4 of an estimated $150 million). Other evangelical PVOs... MAP International and Mennonite Central Committee, and the Summer Institute of Linguistics---, received approximately 1 percent or less of their budget from USAID Programs 1983-84, (U.S. Agency for International Development, supplemented by authors estimate for World Vision.)“Observers like Jean Pierre Bastian and Ruben Alves believe that Protestantism has failed, coopted by Latin America’s authoritarian tradition.” (P. 330 Is Latin America Turning Protestant? University of California Press, Underscoring ours.)


3. WITH FILIPINO TAX PAYERS’ MONEY
If these Filipino taxpayers were U.S. citizens and were Protestants in their vast majority, there would, perhaps, be nothing wrong with the destructive influence that these U.S.WASP missionaries, and their local lackeys and collaborators, presently exert.
But, the contrary is true. And this makes all such likely interventions in the context and content of the Philippine educational curricula, (particularly in the teaching of the Spanish and Tagalog languages in college), a totally brazen act of offensive sectarian neocolonialism of the worst kind.
In comparison to this offensive WASP language neocolonialism, the early Spanish Catholic Conquistadores begin to look like saints.

4. SIMPLE SPANISH OBJECTIVES

Attuned to their times and epoch, those Spanish Conquistadores had one clear, and transparently simple, objective. And that was: to profit from what they thought was the lucrative spice trade then held and controlled by their Iberian brothers and rivals, ---the Portuguese.
The Spanish Catholic missionaries, or Friars, that came to the Philippines also had their own objective, which was simple and clear. And, that was to live and work with the indigenous peoples of these islands in order to Christianize them and, in the process, to give them the basics of European civilization since these objectives, according to their own considerations, would lead to the salvation of native souls.

5. UNLIKE THE US WASPS COLONIALISTS, SPAIN DID NOT FORCE SPANISH UPON THE NATIVES

In order to do their work of spiritual salvation, the Catholic Spanish Friars learned the native languages of the islanders to enable them to preach the good news or the Catholic Gospel. Forcing the native islanders to replace with Spanish their own language was farthest from the Spanish Friar mind. And the following Royal decrees or laws show this.

The J. Law XXX on the “Patronato Real” (Royal Patronage) clearly states:
“Que los clérigos y Religiosos no sean admitidos a dotrinas sin saber la lengua general de los indios que han de administrar.” Don Felipe II, en El Pardo, a 2 de diciembre de 1758. (Translation: “That the Clerics and the Religious missionaries may not be allowed to teach the (Christian Catholic) Doctrine without (first) knowing the general language of the indigenous peoples whom they are to serve.”)

With regard to the idea of teaching the Spanish language to the indigenous people, an earlier law, No. XVIII from the book of the Laws of the Indies (Leyes de Indias) issued on July 7 and 17 of the year 1550 by the Spanish Emperor Don Carlos Quinto (or Charles V who was also the king of Germany), it was clearly decreed that:

“Que dónde fuere posible se pongan escuelas de la Lengua Catellana para que la aprendan los indios. x x x Y habiendo resuelto que convendrá introducir la Castellana, ordenamos que a los indios se les pongan Maestros que enseñen a los que voluntariamente lo quieran aprender como les sea menos molestia y sin coste....”
(Translation: “That wherever it may be possible, that schools for Spanish be opened so that the same may be learned by the indigenous peoples... And, having resolved that it is convenient to introduce the Spanish language to them, we order that Teachers be given to the indigenous peoples who will teach Spanish to the said indigenous people who may volunteer to learn the same in a manner that is without burden to, and without any cost to, them...”
With these Royal policies, the native islanders, ancestors of the present Filipinos, had no language problem as known today, because they were not compelled to learn Spanish as they are now directly being forced to learn English, whether they like it or not, to the extent of subtly killing Tagalog, their native language, through the likewise subtle process of destroying its main phonetic characteristics by ramming into it the English, or Taglish, Alphabet and preventing the full use of Filipino as the medium of education in the Philippines.
There was then no such thing as a language problem in these islands, during the Spanish era, as it is understood in the present time.
There was neither an accompanying intention to perpetrate, or commit and carry out, a form of social, economic and cultural genocide with the native Tagalogs as the victims through the subtle switch of Alphabets, ---which, in turn, would force an unjust language change from a superior one (Tagalog), because phonetic, to another that is clearly inferior, because complicatedly unphonetic, anarchical and unlogical (English), ---spelling and pronunciation-wise.


II. AND THEN THERE IS THE A.G.I.L.E. FACTOR

1. SPIONAGE, BRIBERY & NEOCOLONIALISM

The exposé on the A.G.I.L.E intervention in Filipino policy was Posted on 4:24 AM (Manila Time) on March 19, 2003, by Volt Contreras of the Inquirer News Service. It speaks for itself.
“The pervasiveness of its presence is astounding, which makes the extent of its influence a subject of high suspicion.
“And agility -- the swift coordination that allows one to do several things almost all at the same time -- appears to mark the way AGILE (for Accelerating Growth, Investment and Liberalization with Equity) is helping shape many aspects of Filipino life.
“That this is hardly known to the Filipino public, or even to certain lawmakers, is among the reasons the uproar over it has been particularly loud.
“AGILE a US-funded program that is unique to the Philippines, has so far engaged close to 20 government agencies here since it was put up in June 1998 under an agreement between the Philippines and the United States.
“As a mechanism that pools mostly Filipino experts who provide technical services or advice to departments, bureaus and congressional committees, AGILE's inputs have found their way into many of the Philippines' more recent economic measures and policies.
“The bottom line, according to AGILE's objectives as presented on its website, is to foster a favorable investment climate and thus spur economic growth, create jobs, and reduce poverty.
“From industry regulations to agriculture modernization, from revenue generation to anti-piracy campaigns, from orienting the judiciary on newly passed commercial laws to formulating new bidding procedures for government supply contracts -- these are just some of the concerns Agile has helped the Philippine government address.
“AGILE chief of party Dr. Ramon Clarete, an economics professor from the University of the Philippines, said there is a 41.6-million-dollar aid package from the US Assistance for International Development (USAID).