By Hilda Austria – PNA
LINGAYEN, Pangasinan — The Bantayog-Wika monument for Pangasinan language that serves as a symbol of the rich tradition, culture and language of Pangasinenses, was unmasked here on Thursday.
“Ang Bantayog-Wika ay proyektong naglalayong isinamonumento ang mga katutubong wika ng bansa sa pamamagitan ng pisikal na istruktura bilang baul o sisidlan ng katutubong kaalaman, kalahagahan, gawi, tradisyon at kasaysayan ng mga Pilipino (The Bantayog-Wika project aims to put up monuments of the native languages of the country through physical structures that will serve as treasure chest of knowledge/wisdom, values, practices, traditions, and history of the Filipinos),” Senator Loren Legarda said in a speech read by Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) Commissioner Purificacion Delima during the inauguration at the Maramba Blvd. this town.
“Ang bantayog sana ay maging simbolo ng pagtataguyod ng ating kultura at maging inspirasyon na lalo pang gamitin sa pagpapalaganap at pagpapayaman ng wikang Pangasinan (The monument will hopefully be a symbol of our patronage for our culture and may it be an inspiration to promote and enrich even more the Pangasinan language),” Legarda added.
Bantayog-Wika is a project of Legarda’s office and the KWF.
The senator said the stainless steel Bantayog-Wika monument, which features ancient Baybayin letters cut with the use of laser technology and lighted from within so people can read those lines at night, was designed by artist Luis Yee Jr.
She further said KWF installed and unveiled its first Bantayog-Wika monument in Antique province for the Kiniray-a language, followed by Ifugao province; Davao Oriental’s Mati City; Kalinga, Occidental Mindoro, Bukidnon, Bataan, Batangas and Surigao del Norte provinces, as well as Baguio City.
“Pangasinan is the second major language which has its Bantayog-Wika this year. The first one is Tagalog,” she said.
The country has 130 languages as reported and documented by KWF.
Sentrong Wika at Kultura KWF Pangasinan director Mary Ann Macaranas said Pangasinan language is widely spoken in central Pangasinan, while some two million population of the province speak Ilokano language based on the data of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In his speech, Governor Amado Espino III urged the local government units in the province to create programs that would strengthen the use of the Pangasinan language in response to the report that by 2050, Pangasinan language would be an endangered language.
“Let us begin strengthening Pangasinan language in our homes, even through simple conversations with our children, such as ‘Angan ka la?’ (Have you eaten already?),” Espino said.
He also asked the academe and the KWF to help the province in preserving the language.
“We should adapt to the times, make our teaching strategy acceptable to the independent-minded young people. We ask the help of KWF and to make the teaching of the language to the youths unique,” Espino added.
He thanked KWF for their efforts in supporting the Pangasinan language, assuring he would form programs that would preserve the language.
