Pangasinan and Filipino

Is Pangasinan a dialect? To Governor Espino and others, Pangasinan is a Malayo-Polynesian language under the Austronesian group of languages. The difference between “language” and “dialect” can be known in the dictionary.

August is the designated month for the annual celebration of the national language, Filipino. But, the preceding and this year are different because the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino under Dr. Ricardo Nolasco had decided to follow a different direction. No longer is the emphasis on Filipino exclusively wrapped in monolingual discourse. Last year’s theme was “Ang Buwan ng Wikang Pambansa ay Buwan ng mga Wika sa Pilipinas,” which placed the more than a hundred Philippine languages at par with Filipino. The Commission sponsored literary contests in Iloco, Bisaya including Pangasinan.

This year’s theme is even more radical: “Maraming wika, matatag na bansa.” Contrary to popular assertions, Nolasco debunks the idea that multilingualism is hindrance to unity and progress. In affirmation of our linguistic diversity, he encourages the use and promotion of other vernacular languages beside Filipino in education, teaching and other avenues for their development. The contests (poetry, short story and essay) had been expanded to include Bikol, Meranao, Maguindanao and Tausug.

Now is the auspicious time for Pangasinenses to elevate their language to the status that other languages enjoy or further. These languages have attained national acceptance in creative writing workshops and literary contests. Take the case of the Palanca Awards. Pangasinan is left out in their list unlike Iloco. We Pangasinenses must first destroy the myth that Pangasinan is an Iloco dialect. Pangasinan is a language on its own right with rich literature comparable with other languages.

Making Pangasinan alive in the halls of Urduja House is a good step but utilizing it more widely in government offices, business and education either through printed or broadcast media requires a concerted effort from the stakeholders - us. Can the Board Members at the capitol debate on pressing issues in Pangasinan? Is it possible that minutes of conferences and meetings, and resolutions be written in Pangasinan, not translated from English? Will it be used as medium of instruction in the primary school?

Answers to these foregoing questions also hinge on the need to evaluate our existing national language policy. Should we stick to the policy of bilingualism?

This however need not detain the Espino leadership from taking concrete and positive action in the preservation and development of Pangasinan. Kapampangans have their Center for Kapampangan Studies under the auspices of the Holy Angel University. I have visited their magnificent museum showcasing their rich history and culture. They also publish a magazine, Singsing and a peer-reviewed journal. In UP Visayas, in Miag-ao, there is the Center for West Visayan Studies while in UP Baguio, they had the Cordillera Studies Center. Why not establish Sentro ya Panaralay Pangasinan (not Center for Pangasinan Studies)? The Pangasinan State University (PSU) should take the first opportunity of housing the facility where scholars and literati can be accommodated.

Indeed, Pangasinan and Filipino are two beautiful languages as good as any language in the world. Say Pangasinan tan Filipino et paris na arom ya salita ed mundon kaukulan ya aroen tan itanduro.

[First published in People's Digest Newsweekly (Dagupan City)(August 14-20, 2007)]