| Teaching of the Filipino Language |
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An important mandate of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas is to preserve and enhance the social, economic and cultural ties of Filipinos overseas with the Philippines. Toward this end, CFO has been actively involved in developing and implementing programs and activities to encourage Filipinos overseas, specially the younger generations, to learn about the Philippines and appreciate their Filipino heritage and culture.
After several years of tedious research, the CFO published and made available the Guide to Learning Filipino in 2002, a teaching material with accompanying musical tape. It was developed for organizations and groups overseas interested to teach the Filipino language to children of overseas Filipinos and other individuals who would like to learn the basic Filipino. The lessons are culture-based and aims to pave the way toward better understanding of the Philippines and its people. The book seeks to teach the Filipino language by situating the lessons within recognizable Philippine conditions and by using vignettes of Philippine life. Filipino songs, legends, stories or folklore, games, cuisine have also been interspersed with the lessons as exercises, examples, and practical learning to reinforce the learning of the Filipino language.
Three years later, CFO decided to further develop the program and make it available across the globe through the internet. The product of this effort is the LearnFilipino.ph website, an internet-based guide to learning the Filipino language. Like CFO's earlier publication, lessons are situated within recognizable Philippine conditions. Lessons include vocabulary words, sample idioms, useful phrases, common expressions, and simple conversations. Audio sounds are added as guide for correct pronunciation. Grammar notes are likewise provided to aid in conjugation and tenses. There are also culture features that serve as endnotes about the different Filipino customs and traditions. To assess the students' proficiency, sets of questions are placed at the end of each session. The Learn Filipino Project consists of three modules: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Students are expected to complete each module within 180 hours. The CFO will issue Certificates of Completion to successful students at the end of each module.
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