Filipino Voice for the Airwaves

The Akash Broadcasting panel

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)  released  a call for applications  for an ethnic radio station in Edmonton. Edmonton’s population growth over the past two years has outpaced that of Alberta as a whole, and was over three times that of the current estimates of growth for Canada. The largest groups of immigrants come from the Philippines and India. Alberta Employment and Immigration found there were over 130 languages identified by new immigrants destined to the province as their mother tongue with English, Tagalog, Punjabi, Mandarin, and Spanish consistently in the top five languages. With currently only  one radio  station  for the ethnic communities, 101.7 World FM, the need for at least another ethnic radio station was evident.

I  was approached  to be a part of the panel for the application for a license by Akash Broadcasting, based in BC. This was my first foray into the world of radio broadcast, not counting the few projects I did as part of my Theatre Arts Bachelor’s degree at the University of the Philippines. Needless to say, the whole experience was fascinating to me. The amount of work and resources required for an application alone, is staggering. There’s the engineering survey, the market research, financial feasibility, audience demographics, programming options, to name a few, that needs thorough research. And then comes the most crucial phase of the application, which I was involved in, the hearings with the Commission.

My commitment involved four intense days of preparation and the actual hearing day, with a very dynamic and committed group representing different sectors of the community: Tejinderpaul Singh - well-known broadcaster with Shaw Multicultural Channel, performing artist, teacher, and volunteer; Herkiranjeet Kaur Mann - entrepreneur; Marco Luciano - advocate of migrant rights; Nav Kaur - educator and equity advocate; Simrat Cheema - radio and television broadcaster; Satnam Rai - financial advisor; Kanak Chamarty and Julie Zhang - journalists; Jagdeep Sandhu - telecom engineer, talk show host and DJ; Stephen Zolf - legal counsel; Andrew Forsyth - broadcast consultant; Kerry Pelser - consulting engineer; and Rita Cugini - adviser. The five-day stint we shared was marked with enriching, diverse dialogue, validated and challenged perspectives, and initiated relationships. We shared our vision and desires for an ethnic radio station, immigrant stories, employment issues, child rearing practices, educational philosophies, ways of life, entertainment preferences, and humour. In all these interaction, I kept in mind that I was there primarily as a Filipino and an artist.

There were a total of 11 applications for this call. The hearing for all applicants went for four whole days, sometimes stretching to the evening. The whole process allowed for inquiries and rebuttals from Commissioners, other applicants, supporters and opposers of an applicant.

The applications had commonalities in their objective - to complement, and not compete, with the existing ethnic radio station, in offering extended programming for underserved communities mainly in the languages of Cantonese, Mandarin, Tagalog, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu. For programming dedicated to the Filipino community, 101.7 World FM currently allots 3-4 hours one day a week.  

It does not need to be emphasized that another ethnic radio station in Edmonton will only benefit the Filipino community. As an artist, I see this as a bonus opportunity to develop and promote works of Filipino artists, and open up avenues of collaboration with other cultural groups. As a Filipino, this is a way to build a community with other Filipinos in this country and to reflect on our culture in a global framework. As a Canadian, this is a platform that stresses the importance of, and regard towards diversity, and honouring each other’s cultural perspective. So regardless of which applicant is granted the license, regardless of whether we have supported an applicant or not, the Filipino community should rally to support and patronize whoever is granted a license to operate this ethnic radio station.  Because as succinctly articulated by Thomas Berry, “Diversity is the magic. It is the first manifestation, the first beginning of the differentiation of a thing and of simple identity. The greater the diversity, the greater the perfection.” Let our voices be heard.


This article was published in the Alberta Filipino Journal November 2016 issue.

Buwan ng Wika (Month of the Language)

Buwan ng Wika, or National Month of the Language, is observed every month of August in the Philippines, to promote the use of the national language.  It was originally observed as Linggo ng Wika (week of the language), around the 19th of August, to coincide with the birth date of Manuel L. Quezon, the President of the Philippine Commonwealth, who pushed for the institutionalization of Tagalog as the country’s national language.  At that time, English was considered the language of refinement and sophistication, and those speaking the Philippine languages were deemed uneducated.  The 1935 Philippine constitution designated English and Spanish as official languages and Manuel Quezon pushed for a national language from one of the country’s various languages.

In 1997, the Linggo ng Wika was expanded to a month long celebration by President Fidel Ramos in 1997.  This event is generally observed by: coming to school in native costumes, conducting classes in Tagalog, staging presentations, art contests, essay writing contests, exhibits and parades, showcasing the use of the Filipino language.

There has been a lot of debate on the designation of Tagalog as the official language, considering that there are about 170 ethno-linguistic groups in this country of 7,000 islands.  Furthermore, Tagalog is not regarded as the majority language and English still remains as the primary tool of communication in business, government, higher education and other professional fora.  There is also the belief that the promotion of this one language for the Philippines, will lead or has lead to the marginalization and extinction of other dialects.

Regardless of these opposing views on the Filipino language, for us Filipinos here in Canada, it will do us a lot of good to exercise this fluency in our language, be it Tagalog or another dialect.    Whether the Filipino language is the first language or not, this will keep us attached to the mother country and its history.

Furthermore, extensive studies have revealed the advantages of knowing more than one language.  In Alberta, language learning was made a requirement for Grades 4-9 in 2006.  The ministry’s study stresses the impact of language education on intellectual potential, scholastic achievement, first language skills, citizenship and the economy:

• Students fluent in two language score higher in both verbal and non-verbal intelligence.
• Students studying a second language are superior in divergent thinking tasks and in memory ability and attention span.
• The earlier the start, the greater the positive effect on the first language.
• Students studying a second language have superior cross-cultural skills, adapt better to varying cultural contexts, and display greater cultural sensitivity.
• There is an urgent requirement for qualified speakers of languages other than English in areas of science, technology, medicine and global commerce.

So maximize these summer months and learn more about our mother tongue.  Immerse in Filipino literature, films and be part of the community and make an extra effort to work on Filipino/Tagalog fluency.

Trivia:

• The first written example of the Tagalog language dates from circa 900 AD.
• The first known book written in Tagalog is a Christian doctrine, published in 1593 in two versions - one in Latin alphabet and the other in Baybayin script (also referred as alibata), an ancient writing system that existed in the Phils. before the arrival of the Spanish people.
• Because of Spanish colonization, about 40 percent of informal Tagalog vocabulary are derived from Spanish origins.
• The modern Filipino alphabet has 28 letters, composed of the entire 26 letter Latin alphabet with the addition of the Spanish ‘ñ’ and the Tagalog ‘ng’.  This version of the alphabet was instituted in 1987 by President Corazon Aquino.
• English words that are of Philippine origin: boondocks, cooties, yo-yo, manila folder/envelope.
• Filipinos were introduced to the English language in 1762 by British invaders, not Americans.

* This was written for and published in the July 2012 issue of Pinoy Living.