‘USAPANG WIKA’ FEATURES THE KAPAMPANGAN LANGUAGE IN THIRD EPISODE

The third episode of the docu-series ‘Usapang Wika’, produced by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), with support from the office of Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, explores the origin of the Kapampangan language.

Legarda, the host of the ten-part cultural documentary that highlights the country’s main languages, invites viewers to understand the history of one of the ten major languages of the Philippines with the help of language experts Dr. Lucena P. Samson and Dr. Leonora L. Yambao.

“Just like our culture and traditions, our languages are a vital part of our heritage and our identity as a nation. Our country is a multilingual state with more than a hundred living languages spoken by our ethno-linguistic groups, and we want to delve into all these languages so we could better understand and learn our history and ethnicity,” she explained.

“Together with language experts, this week’s episode of the ‘Usapang Wika’ wishes to educate and enlighten our people about Kapampangan, the primary language of the province of Pampanga, which is also spoken in some parts of Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Bataan and Zambales provinces in Central Luzon,” Legarda added.

As a long-time advocate of nurturing and preserving the Philippine languages, Legarda provided support for the installation of language markers for the 130 languages in the country, in partnership with the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF).

She also supported the documentation of languages, which resulted in the publication of the Atlas ng Wika ng Filipino showcasing the different languages in the country.

As former Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, Legarda increased the KWF’s budget for the documentation of the extinct and endangered languages in the Philippines.

She has also filed SB 1116, or the Local Studies Center Act, a proposed measure that seeks to establish Local Studies Centers in all state colleges and universities (SUCs), which will serve as research institutions that focus on the grassroots level with the thrust of identifying, recognizing, documenting, conserving, preserving, and promoting local history, folklore, language, and other aspects of cultural heritage through academic, scientific, and scholastic approaches.

Moreover, Legarda will propose amendments to Republic Act No. 7104 or the Commission on the Filipino Language Act to further strengthen the KWF.

The ten episodes of ‘Usapang Wika’ will showcase the history, literary works and evolution of each of the major languages.

It is aired every Saturday at 4:30 to 5:00 in the afternoon via ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC) with a replay on Sundays at 1:30 PM.