The scenario was the question and answer portion in the 2008 Binibining Pilipinas Beauty Pageant, the leading pageant for women in the Philippines. Miss Janina San Miguel of the University of the East, 17 years old and Candidate No. 15 was the next to answer the traditional Q&A. The question came from one of the foremost Philippine socialite, Vivian Tan.

Vivian said,

“Good evening, the question is, What role did your family play to you as candidate to Binibining Pilipinas?”

Janina San Miguel answered,

“Well, my family’s role for me is so important. Because, there was the… their… they was the one whose… very, [giggles], oh I’m so sorry, uhm, my pamily, my family, oh my God, I’m… [Paolo Bediones, the host, tells her to relax] okay… I’m so sorry… I, I told you that I’m so confident, eto, uhm, wait, [more giggles]… uhm, sorry guys because this was really my first pageant ever, because I’m only 17 years old, and, [another giggles]… I did not expect that I came from one of the taf ten… uhm… so… but I said dat my family is the most important persons in my life. Tenk you.” (Original transcription by this author)

Several minutes after, hosts Paolo Bediones and ex-beauty queen Charlene Gonzales – Muhlach announced the top five winners. And surprises of all surprises, Janina hit the top spot: Binibining Pilipinas – World 2008. She will represent the Philippines in the Miss World beauty pageant to be held in Ukraine sometime in November this year but to some Filipinos’ discontent and to most Filipinos’ taunts.

To people living in countries around the world, Janina’s answer is not a big issue. But as one politician puts it, the incoherent answer of this newly-crowned beauty queen is a reflection of the Filipino’s present level of English proficiency. The Philippines claims to have the best English speakers in Asia and thought of as one of the best in the world. In fact, our OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) are hailed abroad primarily due to the fact that they can speak English well to their foreign employers who do not have much difficulty communicating with them.

Consequently, what happened that night will prove to be one of the most unforgettable bloopers of a Philippine beauty queen. Of course, Miss International 1979 Melanie Marquez remains on top of the list but she always says, “Who cares, do not be judgmental. Let’s be compassionate.” Incidentally, my opinion is the same as that of Miss Marquez. Filipinos should not gauge a kababayan’s intelligence by the way he or she spoke English. True, if Janina was from Venezuela, Mexico, Japan, or from other countries whose first language is not English, her answer will not draw too much reactions from the public. But look at how the Philippines’ meticulousness in speaking English is taking a toll on the confidence of each and every Filipino. Why did the Filipinos not applaud the poor girl for at least trying to speak English before thousands of crowd that fateful night? Again, we can say here that the Filipinos have easily judged their kababayan. Instead of giving her their comforting words, they added more insult to Janina’s injury by sending her (in)famous answer to friends through text messages. How mean!

Sadly, it will take a long time before the Filipinos realize that English is just their second language and they don’t have to be that fluent in speaking this foreign language. Thus, they have to understand that committing mistakes in speaking English is not a gauge of a person’s intelligence. One’s English proficiency may be low but hey, this is English, not even a national language. It’s about time that the entire Filipinos learn the fact that English although a lingua franca of business, education and international communication, should not be forced to be learned traditionally the way Filipino teachers do it in Philippine schools. Rather, it must be reintroduced to the young generation in a friendlier manner where the students should not be put under pressure by asking them to speak fluently in English or if they don’t speak English, they will have to pay fines or they will have to get the ire of their teachers. Yes, this is the present scenario in the Philippine schools. This is exactly the reason why the confidence of the students to speak English has nosedived. Who wants to pay fines if one doesn’t have baon (money) in the first place? Who wants to get the ire of one’s teacher? Surely, all students want to impress them. So, what happens is, they rather keep quiet and not speak. As the old adage puts it, “Less talk, less mistake.” Psychologically, however, these punishments have an adverse effect on the Filipino students. Hence, the result is when the poor students speak English they will resort to mentally translate their answers from Filipino to English just to make sure that they are speaking English correctly. But sadly, the mental translation produces a bad effect on the speaker. Why? Because the grammar structure in English is not the same as the structure of another language, in this instance the Filipino language.

Obviously, this is what happened to Janina that night. Her mind was panicky and she was grasping for words to say. Also, she was under great pressure to impress the judges and the crowd by speaking English. On one hand, she failed to win the crowd’s heart. But on the other hand, she was able to capture the compassionate hearts of the judges. Personally, I hail the judges’ decision to just forget about Janina’s English and give her what she rightfully deserves. Indeed that night, the judges might have sent a quiet message to the Filipinos: it’s not just how one speaks English; it’s also about how one courageously faces a situation under pressure.

So my dear Filipinos, stop dreaming about English fluency. That can never happen unless you and your family circle speak English, and all your friends and the people in your community are speaking English as well. But in case you want to speak English correctly and proficiently, give your full heart and mind to learning how to speak this international lingua franca. Then perhaps, you will be able to learn. But don’t expect your English to be perfect, because it will never happen.