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Vox Medius

by Daryl John Clark Roque

It is arguably a country’s pride to celebrate and promote its own culture and heritage every once in a while. We see this in the month of August; it being the so-called “national language month” and its final Monday being the day to honor our “national heroes.” Despite these legal and customary observances, almost everyone takes pride in being a Filipino. Be it in contemporary pop culture, the influence of our educational system, or the sheer beauty of it, there is surely a “nationalistic fervor” being sown in the hearts and minds of the youth.

The same could not be said, it seems, of the breast-fed language and culture in our home province: Pampanga. While indigenous and regional cultures have in recent days been incorporated into this month of cultural pride, they have nevertheless barely seen the spotlight and the recognition they deserve. As for the Kapampangan language and culture, unlike its Filipino counterpart, it continues to struggle to capture the spirit of the youth today even in its own lands.

For what reason? Despite its occasional recognition in Kapampangan-themed events, Kapampangan culture has been sown in today’s rocky ground and struggles to bear significant fruit. Genuine effort from the youth of Pampanga to advance its own culture and language to the country and to the world does not seem substantial enough, if not none at all. These come with what most of our generation see as baggage of a culture that cannot fit the sensibilities of today.

In Holy Angel University, for example, voices emerged both in support and against the return of Aguman Sanduk to the School of Engineering and Architecture, this despite the institution being home to the Center of Kapampangan Studies. Not only did it seem problematic for a Catholic school to allow cross-dressing for men; it was also contradictory for the LGBTQ+ students who were themselves prohibited from doing so. Interpretations of the festival and the reason for such cross-dressing may vary depending on who you ask, but the notion of gender-based discrimination stuck nonetheless, leading the festival to leave a bitter taste in the mouths of many Angelites.

It also does not help that Kapampangan, as a language, while still being used by the youth, is often seen as backward compared to English and Tagalog, legally branded as “Filipino” by the 1987 Constitution. There is a soft elitism that envelops the preferential use of the latter two, due to them being the linguae francae of modernization as it encroaches the province. Some studies also show that these are the preferred languages that Kapampangan parents would rather teach and talk to their children with. They are also the prevailing languages used by intellectuals, artists, and politicians of our time. Kapampangan is then left to be seen as either an archaic or old-fashioned tongue used only by the religious and the elders, or as a vernacular used only by the uneducated and those not largely awake to the political climate.

On the contrary, other provinces such as Cebu take pride in their own languages until today. Apart from continuing to be a language in official settings, literature in the Cebuano language continues to be relevant in their own home region. This is most probably due to it being ingrained in their own academic systems, incentivizing and mandating their own languages and culture to be learned by heart. This is a recognition that still fails to be seen in Pampanga; many educators see Kapampangan as merely a literary medium unfit for use in the professional world. With the elimination of the MTB-MLE or Mother Tongue subject by the current administration, which itself still needed improvement, there is even less ground where attention to the Kapampangan language and culture could be cultivated at the very least.

Then, there are those who adhere to a compromise: to try and adapt the Kapampangan identity to the current trends and sensibilities that would surely capture the youth. While they remain a small collection of enthusiasts who thirst for genuine concern for Kapampangan culture, they have found various ways to share their zeal for it. Kulitan, the indigenous Kapampangan script, has crossed many minds by seeing it being written on social media or being implemented as a digital application; even as decorative stickers! 

Proponents from the younger generation such as Keith Manaloto, developer of the Learn Kulitan app, and Raymond Figueroa, a Kulitan calligraphy advocate and artist, both grew up in an environment where their Kapampangan identity was sidelined for a “national” one, whether being raised to speak Tagalog or not being exposed to Kapampangan due to the educational system. And yet, they see that Kapampangan culture and language has not yet lost its relevance today; rather, it is a question of why and how should the current generation be able to connect with them.

For Manaloto and Figueroa, their own avenues of keeping these cultural treasures relevant in daily life is for them the best way to make them be more appreciated. Alongside their promotion of Kulitan, they argue that a resurgence of Kapampangan language and culture is beginning to take root due to social media and an emphasis on education and awareness about them. These measures of ensuring relevance, either by seeking information, attending lectures and workshops, or by simply passing on our knowledge to others, would guarantee the continued preservation of these Kapampangan treasures.

There is still a barrier that we, as Kapampangans, need to cross. The mere knowledge of the song “Atin Ku Pung Singsing” would only be a scratch on the surface compared to the unceasing use of the word “padayon” by many. Knowing and seeing such negative perception or apathy towards Kapampangan culture, how would cultural treasures such as the Kapampangan bárû, the indigenous deities Sinukuan and Namalyari, and the concept of Crissotan, which remain barely heard of and hardly known in the mainstream, be made more appealing or resonating to the current generation of Kapampangans?

It would seem that a genuine and continuous interest in revitalizing the Kapampangan language and culture has still yet to take root in the zeitgeist. Thus, there is still hope in trying to bridge our many legacies of yesterday with the world of today. It could be said that a “nationalistic fervor” need not be uniform; there is merit to be gained in accepting the truth of unity in diversity in the Philippines. Yet, in a society that rewards accepting that one nation requires one spirit no matter which political or social flag you fly, what is there to be gained by a young person in being proud of what some already see as a local culture dying with the times? 

^{Daryl John Clark Roque is the Associate Editor for External Affairs of The Access Point and writes opinions under the column “Vox Medius”.
The views and opinions expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of the publication.}