u/Goldenbrownxx

This is such a common problem in the Philippines, and I hope this will spread awareness to future parents too.

Andami kong kilala na tao (half of them are from international schools), that cannot speak Tagalog at all, despite living here their whole life.

Yung kaklase ko, pinoy siya, born and raised here. However, he can’t speak Tagalog, and minimal understanding lang kaya niya.

Nag pa-report yung Filipino at Panitikan prof namin and guess what?? He didn’t do it. Why? He doesn’t know how to speak Tagalog at all. His presentation was in English, our prof called him out na Filipino ang class niya, dapat hindi English ang output and essays niya. He couldn’t do anything about it, he just stuttered and stormed out of the class. Of course, our prof didn’t give him any second chances at all. Ang ironic lang din for me kasi yung gf niya is half Irish (born and raised in Europe), pero mas magaling pa mag Tagalog kesa sakanya; so it really comes down to the parents’ fault.

However, nasa sariling sikap mo na din yan if you wanna learn our language or not. Laking pinas ka, sobrang laki ng advantage if alam mo yung sariling wika natin. Ikaw lang din mahihirapan sa future mo and when applying to future careers in this country. Being bilungual is such a privilege and a useful skill.

Furthermore, I met a young girl and aspiring actress siya, kausap ko yung nanay niya and proud pa yung mom na ‘di daw marunong mag Tagalog yung anak niya. I told the mom “wouldn’t that be a huge disadvantage once she grows up?” Tapos sagot lang ng nanay is “mas okay na mas magaling siya mag English kesa sa Tagalog.” Ginawa ba namang social status. Sorry to say Tita, but your kid will definitely get bullied or have a hard time once she grows up.

Ayon lang naman, Filipino tayo, nasa pinas tayo. It is not a flex at all na ‘di natin alam yung sarili nating wika. Mas nakakahiya pa na ‘di din naman half or mixed yung kids niyo, kasi mas gets ko pa talaga if half yung kids or laking western country.. but the fact y’all live and stay here..?? Insane.

I’m 1/4 white and I basically have little to no connection with my white family (like we’re not that close). My white grandpa died when my dad was still a kid so he never really got close with his white side of the family, and my dad and his siblings were kind of my grandpa’s illegitimate children (considering he had a family back in America). So our white side of the family weren’t that accepting.

I look heavily mixed with my features and I consider myself mixed/wasian. I met a half white person and we were talking about family backgrounds and I got hit with “how are you wasian if you don’t have a white parent?”, I think I felt pretty invalidated, and a bit insecure about my upbringing as an Asian/white individual too.

It just made me realize some harsh truths that not all will see me as wasian because I don’t have an actual white parent, been told this once but it was from an Asian dude, it didn’t bother me; but it coming from an actual wasian person really made me reflect a lot.