BY EDISON JOSEPH GONZALES
A nation that abandons its native tongue does not merely change how it speaks, such that it surrenders part of what defines its identity, according to National Artist for Literature Virgilio S. Almario, better known by his pen name Rio Alma.
Speaking on BNC’s “The Daily Dish” during Buwan ng Wika, Almario warned that a pervasive colonial mindset has left Filipinos constantly looking outward, attempting to Americanize or Europeanize their own inner lives.
He said this deep-seated colonial orientation drives Filipinos to prioritize foreign cultures over their own native roots.
For Almario, Buwan ng Wika matters because it creates a period for Filipinos to turn inward and remember the cultural elements that have been sidelined.
He described the observance as a necessary intervention against losing the cultural heartbeat that helps define national identity.
Almario pointed to tennis star Alex Eala as a modern example of someone who has maintained a strong connection to her heritage while living and competing abroad.
He noted that Eala purposely watches local television and listens to OPM to absorb natural Filipino idioms and new words entering the contemporary lexicon.