Toward a Filipino-Language Philippine Studies Project

Author(s): RAMON GUILLERMO

Source: Philippine Studies, Vol. 56, No. 4, Vanua in Batanes (december 2008), pp. 467-474
Published by: Ateneo de Manila University
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Symposium on Philippine Studies

RAMON GUILLERMO

Toward a

Filipino-Language

Studies
Philippine

Project

oftheso-
Thisshortpaperadvancesthethesisthatthemaincurrents
calledindigenization inPhilippine
movement Studiessuchas Pantayong
PananawandSikolohiyang werecloselyrelatedto theriseofthe
Pilipino
nationalist
andmilitant ofthecrucialdecades ofthe
mass movements
ofthesetendencies
1960s to the1980s. It arguesthatthedisengagement
thatgavethemtheiroriginal
fromthesocialandmass movements impetus
andcontinuing
deprivesthereoftherealbasisoftheirstrength relevance.
PHILIPPINE
KEYWORDS: • INDIGENIZATION
STUDIES • SOCIAL •
MOVEMENTS
PANANAW
PANTAYONG • SIKOLOHIYANG
PILIPINO

PHILIPPINE
STUDIES 4 (2008)
56,NO. 467-74 deManila
©Ateneo University

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 militant nationalistupheavalsofthe 1960smarkedtheera
thatgave birthto twoof the mostimportant indigenization
tendenciesin PhilippineStudies,namely,thePantayong Pa-
nanaw(PP) trendfoundedbythehistorian Zeus A. Salazar,
The and Sikolohiyang Pilipino(SP) established bythepsychologist
VirgilioEnriquez.Boththesetrendscame tomaturity in the1980sand both
are deeplymarkedin theirhistory and discursive evolutionbythenational
democraticmovementand the massstruggles againsttheMarcosdictator-
ship. Like the mass movements ofthe time, these tendencies alsotookpartin
thebroadnationalist effortat propagating and developingthenationallan-
guage. Given the keenly felt
alienation experienced bytheEnglish-speaking
activists,who wereat thattimetrying to integrate themselvesamongthe
toilingmasses, one of the of
originalgoals establishing a genuinelynational
languagewas the development ofan emancipatory social and pedagogical
practice in which both the masses and progressive militantintellectuals
or
could join together and activelytakepartin shapingthe futureof the na-
tion.
One such nationallanguagemovement, knownas MaugnayingPili-
pino, was closely alliedwith the law
pre-martial organization Movementfor
theAdvancement of Nationalism(cf. M.A.N. 1969; Del Rosario1973). It
tookitsname fromthewordugnay, whichmeansto "relate"or "connect"
or "be connected."MaugnayingPilipino,due to variousreasons,ultimately
failedto bridgethegap betweentheformalized discourses work
ofscientific
and thelanguagesofdailylife.Fortheirpart,theradicallaborand peasant
movementsdid and stilldo exhibitno small degreeof internallinguistic
complexity, but a cursoryanalysisof verticaland horizontalcommunica-
tionstructures withinthemwouldshowthede factouse ofFilipinoas the
dominantnationallanguageofcommunication bothon thepragmatic and
symbolic levels.
However,somemajorrepresentatives oftheindigenization approaches
in PhilippineStudiesconsideredthemselves as movingbeyondsimplyusing
Filipinoin expressing themselves as academicstowarddevelopingwhatthey
understood to be a genuinelyFilipinoperspective on Philippinephenom-
ena. Theyopposedthisto whattheyviewedas theuncriticaland rampant
adoptionof"foreign" modesofanalysis.Forexample,thedisciplineofpoliti-
cal economywas takento be an alien discoursethatimposedan inappro-
priateand completely"Western" or foreignconceptualgridon Philippine

468 PHILIPPINE
STUDIES 4 (2008)
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 ittherefore
reality; had tobe opposedwitha morerigorously emicapproach.
The lesserknownindigenization tendency known as advo-
Pilipinolohiya,
catedbyProsperoCovar,is an exampleofthiskindofthinking.
In contrastto the writings such as JoseMaria Sison
of nationalists,
(1971), Renato Constantino(1979), and AlejandroLichauco (1988)-
who all presentedmoreor less comprehensive programsin the political,
economic,and culturalspheresand whosewritings and
on industrialization
agrarian reformstillform the programmatic backbone ofmany activist
and
grassroots organizations-the indigenization tendenciesof the post-1986
era appearto have withdrawn almostcompletely fromaddressing pressing
economicquestionsand generally demuranyactualengagement withmass
movements. The failureoftheagrarianreform and industrialization
projects
in thePhilippinesprobablyled some disillusioned proponents ofindigeni-
zationto completely turntheirbackson the economicaspectof national-
istthoughtin orderto concentrate on primarily "cultural"and "linguistic"
Or
topics. maybetheyjust felt
the need to legitimizethemselves withinthe
academicdomain,whichrequiredthattheysubmitthemselves to thenarrow
stricturesofspecializationand tothemythofdepoliticizedacademicwork.

The Disavowal of the Economy

The turnawayfromtheeconomytowardan almostexclusiveconcernwith
culturaland linguisticmatters(e.g., "culturalism")and the inordinate fo-
cus on the riseofcharismatic leadersin thepoliticalsphere(especiallyin
the case of PP) dramatizedthe distanceof the indigenizing tendenciesin
PhilippineStudiesfromthesocialmovements gavethemtheir
thatinitially
impetusin theradical1960s.Thiscuriousnarrowness ofperspective allowed
theseapproachesto ignoreissuesofpoverty and exploitation are,from
that
withintheirframeworks, probably consideredto be ephemeralphenomena.
Byturning theirbackson actuallyexistingsocialmovements and attempting
to base themselves almostexclusivelywithinacademicand formaleduca-
tionalsettings,manypractitioners oftheindigenization tendenciesin Phil-
ippineStudieshavegivenup one ofthestrongest basesforthegrowth and
development ofsocialscientific in
discourse Filipino. In tandem with their
lack of interestin socioeconomicissues,PP and Pilipinolohiya have been
characterized by the rejectionof Marxism, which was the majortheoreti-
cal toolin thenationalliberationstruggles ofthetwentieth century. Covar
(1988, 30) has evendenied thevery existenceofany kind of"capitalism"or

GUILLERMO PHILIPPINE
AFILIPINO-LANGUAGE
/TOWARD STUDIES
PROJECT 469

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 relations"
"capitalist in thePhilippines, rejectingthesecategoriesoffhandas
simplybeinginappropriate to describePhilippine realities.
Insteadof puttingan emphasison the painstaking developmentand
strengthening of mass movements, which can address the rootsof poverty
and economicexploitation, PP emphasizesthe riseof leaderscapable of
capturing imagination the so-calledbayan(people/nation)
the of through
theirembodiment ofwhattheytaketo be indigenousconceptionsofpower
stretchingback to the era of the datu (Salazar 2005). Such perspectives
are notoverlyinterested in lookingat howan impoverished and oppressed
people can take power in theirown hands and asserttheir humanity and
dignityagainsta societyand socialsystem thatdegradesthem.

"Indigenization" in a Neoliberal Age

the disavowalof the economyoccurspreciselyduringa period
Ironically,
of historyin whichprocessesof commodification and commercialization
are penetrating deeper than ever intothe fabric
of Philippineexistence.In
fact,theeducationalinstitutions withinwhichsomeofthese"indigenizing"
academicsworkare steadilyundergoing drasticreforms towardgreaterlib-
eralizationand privatization (Lumberaet al. 2007). The imperatives ofthe
contemporary neoliberal era continue to transform tertiary
public educa-
tionalinstitutionsin thecountry intoprivatecorporate entities.In line with
thepressures ofglobalization, Englishcontinuestobe themost"pragmatic"
languageforteaching,researchwork,and publicationin universities today.
The elitistcomposition oftheUniversity ofthePhilippines(UP), which
overwhelmingly catersto privilegedstudentsfromexclusivehighschools,
hasbeenaggravated bya seriesofexclusionaryactslikeexorbitant tuitionfee
increases.This meansthatprogressive teachersinclinedto usingFilipinoin
theclassroomhaveactuallylostorareat thepointoflosingeventheirtoken
"massaudience"ofiskolarngBayan(scholarsofthepeople).Befitting UP s
colonialorigins, Filipinolanguagesubjects have never been at
required any
periodin itshistory. However,onlyrecently in 2003,theso-calledRevital-
ized General EducationProgram(RGEP) renderedPhilippinehistory or
kasaysayan subjects,whichare generally taughtin Filipino,optionalforall
UP students. The extremely marginal ofFilipinoin college-level
use teach-
inghas been a givenfordecades.
Even themodestgainsin areassuchas thepublicationofFilipinolan-
guageacademicjournalsarefacinggravesetbacksdue,forexample,to such

470 PHILIPPINE
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policiesas the International PublicationAwardsin the UP thatinstantly
grants P55,000.00foreach publicationinan international, refereed,and ISI-
listedjournal.Promotions policiesand tenure requirements are also heavily
biasedtowardinternationally recognized achievements and publicationsas
opposed to thevalues of national relevance. The imposition ofparameters
forworld-class universitiespatterned afterEuropeanand Anglo-American
modelsrepresents a massivereconsolidation of the stranglehold of Euro-
centricmodesofacademicproductionamonguniversities, likeUP, which
aspire forsuch recognition.Filipinolanguage use in the universitiestoday
probably confronts one ofthegravest crisesin itshistory.

Language and Democracy

A projectforthe developmentof a Filipino-language PhilippineStudies
pertainsto all effortsthatcan contribute to such a goal. It is muchbroader
and includeswithinitsscope all the so-calledindigenization tendencies,
asidefromrelatedworkbeingdone outsideoftheuniversities. It shouldnot
at all be opposedor placed in contradiction to theuse ofotherPhilippine
languagesin thesocialsciencesand humanities. Those whoaccuse Filipino
of stunting the development of otherPhilippinelanguagesand destroying
linguistic are dutyboundto workseriously
diversity to increaseproduction
in theirown languagesand to striveto gain a broadernationalaudience.
AnyPhilippinelanguagecapable of challengingthe linguistichegemony
of Englishon a nationwidescale deservestheallegianceof all progressive
Filipinointellectuals.
Englishis exclusionary and silencingand showsno signsofbecoming
anylessso anytimein thefuture. Because oftheunrealistic and untenable
language situationin the Philippines, discussions on important matters
of
nationalpolicy,whichhave lifeand deathimplications forthe greatma-
jority, are limitedto the technocratic elitewho seriously believethattheir
Englishlanguageeducationhas grantedthemtheprivileged and exclusive
roleofprescribing solutionsto all theproblemsofthenation.On an inter-
personallevel,anyhonestand well-meaning Filipinoacademicwouldknow
theautomaticsenseofalienationand distancethatis producedbyaddress-
ingpeopleoutsidetheuniversities and someworksettings in English.Such
a gesturewouldautomatically generate a hierarchical relation, harking back
tothecrudeanď primitive racistpowerrelations existingduringthecolonial
era. Such a confrontation reducesa greatmanyto helplessand miserable

GUILLERMO
/TOWARD
AFILIPINO-LANGUAGE
PHILIPPINE
STUDIES
PROJECT 471

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silence,and givesriseto feelingsof inadequacyin some and producesre-
sentment in others.All thesereactionsare antithetical
to genuinelyhuman
conversationssituatedwithina pedagogicalprojectofemancipation.

Antinativist and Social-Movement Based

The projectofa Filipino-language PhilippineStudiesis notprimarily inter-
estedin resolving tensionsbetween"autonomous"and "nativist" tendencies
as theMalaysianscholarSyedFaridAlatas(2006) definesthem.According
tohim,a nativist socialscienceis characterized bythefollowing traits:
(1) its
propositions are mere negationsofOrientalist assertions; it
(2) represents the
totalorneartotalrejectionofideasbasedsolelyon theirforeign provenance;
(3) its on
propositions indigenous culture and societygloss over internal
diversitiesand contradictions. In contrast,an autonomoussocial science,
whichAlatas(ibid.,112) champions,"Independently raisesproblems,cre-
atesconceptsand creatively appliesmethodologies without beingintellectu-
allydominated by another tradition."
Although it is foreseeable thatnativist
tendencies, due to theirfulfillment ofcertaindeep-seatedemotionalneeds,
willnotsimplydisappear, thedefinitivetriumph ofan autonomoustendency
overthenativist wouldbe a greatadvance.
PP is unique amongthe indigenization approachesin thatit can gen-
eratewithinitselfthetensionor dialecticbetweenautonomousand nativ-
isttendencies.SP definitely leans towardan autonomousapproach,while
Pilipinolohiya is a thoroughly nativistperspective. Debateson methodsand
approachesinvolving thesetendencies have helpedgreatly towardself-clari-
fication amongFilipinoresearchers and theorists. Butsomeapproacheslike
Pilipinolohiya and a dormant in
tendency PP, which indiscriminately reject
certainkeyaspectsof the scientific methodas being inherently Western,
onlyserveto weakenthepositionand intelligibility ofthewhole Filipino-
languagePhilippineStudiesprojectas a whole. The narrowparameters
thatcertainnativist and seminativisttendenciesin PhilippineStudieshave
soughtto imposehaveprovencounterproductive and unnecessarily limiting
in thelongrun.These positions haveendedup narrowing rather thanbroad-
eningthescope ofparticipation in theconstruction ofa Filipinolanguage
Philippine Studies project.
The indigenization projectmust.reflect upon itspastgains,overcome
itsweaknesses, finditsstrengths, striveto combatnativist tendencies,and
concentratetowardhelpingestablishan autonomousPhilippineStudies

472 PHILIPPINE
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in Filipino."Indigenization" is onlyone pathamongmanyotherpossible
ones in attaining an "autonomous"PhilippineStudies.Scholarsinterested
in contributing tothedevelopment ofPhilippineStudiesin Filipinoshould
worktowardmaintaining thecentersofFilipinolanguageacademicproduc-
tionand continuetheirefforts to expandon themeven withinthe hostile
environment ofthedominantneoliberaleducationalregime.Popularpub-
licationsin Filipinoforeducationalpurposeson thesocialand naturalsci-
encescan also be pursuedthrough Internet publications.
The reasonwhyAlatasdoes not seem to give much attentionto the
problemof languagein the construction ofan autonomoussocial science
seemsto residein his almostexclusively academicfocus.A social science
tradition, whichis bothautonomousand critical/transformative, has to be
allied withexistingsocial movementsin orderto have any real effecton
society.Such an approachin PhilippineStudieswillfinditselfchallenged
topursueboththedemocratization ofscientificthought and thetransforma-
tionofthisscientific practiceitselfamong the masses.
It shouldbe said thatthearroganceand feelingofsuperiority ofsome
professional academicsin relationto activistintellectuals is completely un-
warranted. Iftheleveloftheoretical articulation amongpolitical activistsis
notas developedas it shouldbe giventhe conditionsin whichtheywork,
thereis no inherent reasonwhythatshouldbe thecase. Transformative po-
liticalpracticeis justas capable,ifnotmoreso, of generating sophisticat-
ed knowledgeofsocial phenomenaas the morepurelyacademic-oriented
work.Advocatesof a Filipino-language PhilippineStudiestherefore may
findit morefulfilling and meaningful to involvethemselves in helpingto
concretely addressissuesofliteracy, readership, pedagogy, and socialeman-
cipation outsideofthe universities.
For some thismay mean a reengagement
withthemilitantand progressive agendaofnationaland mass-baséd social
movements and, therefore,something of a returnto what has become an
almostforgotten pointoforigin.

Note
Thispaper
wasreadattheEighth
International onPhilippine
Conference Studies
(ICOPHIL)
held
attheAteneo
deManilaUniversity
, Quezon ,on24July
City 2008.

GUILLERMO AFILIPINO-LANGUAGE
/TOWARD PHILIPPINE
STUDIES
PROJECT 473

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Ramon Guillermo isassociate intheDepartment

professor ofFilipino
andPhilippine
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ture, ofArts
College andLetters, Rizal,
Bulwagang ofthePhilippines,
University Quezon
Diliman, City,
Philippines.
<bomen.guiUermo@gmail.com>

474 PHILIPPINE 4 (2008)

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