SINURIGAO: FOR THE PHILIPPINES

International Symposium on Language Maintenance and Preservation, SSCT, Surigao City

It took a while since I logged my last entry on this blog. It seems that my interest on blogging goes offbeat. But for the time being, here I am again egged on blogging. Feeling fresh and renewed. A part of that personal renewal is this blog's new name, JUAN DEL SUR. Conceptually, the name represents a typical Filipino (Juan) who comes from the south (del Sur) of the vibrant archipelagic Philippines. The blog stands itself as the voice of a Surigaonon, a Mindanawon and a Filipino. I love Philippines...so much! On the contrary, I hate it when the country is associated with pork barrel scam, most vulnerable to disasters, worst point-of-entry airport, second highest power rates in Asia, Filipino diaspora, among others. Likewise, I hate it when coding like 'resilience' (in the context of surviving to nature's wrath) or 'a-beauty-pageant-obssessed developing country' (in the context of subscribing to beauty pageants even to the barangay and classroom levels) goes with being a Filipino. It's as if we, as a race, can't do nothing to this recurring problem brought about by nature and stereotyping, respectively. Despite all of these, I still love the Philippines. Everything said and done is "for the Philippines" (Ara Arida's mantra in the 2013 Ms. Universe pageant).

Speaking of "for the Philippines," my Alma Mater (Surigao State College of Technology) and Manunuyat (Surigao's lone writers group) sponsored today an international symposium on language maintenance and preservation held at SSCT Academic Center, Surigao City, Philippines. The talks of a fellow Surigaonon Dr. Franscis P. Dumanig, who is now based in University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, have opened possibilities what Surigaonons can do for the preservation of Sinurigao. I am not Surigaonon by birth, but I am one at heart. My eleven years stay in this child-friendly city is a privilege and learning the language of the place becomes so easy since it is a variety of a more dominant Cebuano.

On a personal note, the symposium took me to a glimpse of the exciting research culture of the academe. Language research in Sinurigao is worth trying for. From the words karajawan, hugjaw, alima, siki, dumaot, giti, pagtambayayong, to the clauses 'Haman kaw kuman?' 'Kun-o man kaw mukadto?' 'Ijo ton bayay?' 'Inday, wa ko kaila sa imo taglaong' reveals that Sinurigao is a vibrant language worth of in-depth understanding.

The current issues of language shift and language displacement give us, Surigaonons, the clear view of our role as native speakers to preserve and to promote our mother-tongue. It is a wake-up call for us to project that 'Surigaonon identity' by preserving Sinurigao language. After all, our language and culture what make us the kind of people we're working on becoming.

P.S. I am using English as a medium of this blog for an acceptable reason. char!