Cebu As Opposed To Boracay Or Puerto Galera?

[ABCDiamond]

My wife reliably informs me that Tagalog is not Filipino. Filipino is otherwise known as "Taglish" and includes English words.

 

Just to clarify this.  We agree. Tagalog is not Filipino, and neither is Bicol.

 

 And that was her mistake, right there. She was in the Visayas where they speak their own dialect and yet she expected them to converse in Tagalog.

 

My girlfriend speaks Bicol, and she did NOT expect them to reply in Tagalog.  She did expect them to reply in the National language that she was using, instead of either of the two dialects.

 

They insist on using English instead of the Philippines National language. 

 

In Cebu they have a massive problem with Tagalog speakers, but they have ended up expanding that "problem" to other dialect speakers.  I will refrain from expanding my thoughts on their attitude.   But it is enough to stop me going back there.  Maybe they need independence from the Philippines ?  Another country with their own language at last ?  That would be fair.

[MikeB]

In Cebu they have a massive problem with Tagalog speakers, but they have ended up expanding that "problem" to other dialect speakers.  I will refrain from expanding my thoughts on their attitude.   But it is enough to stop me going back there.  Maybe they need independence from the Philippines ?  Another country with their own language at last ?  That would be fair.

A massive problem? How many times have you visited Cebu? These are some of the most friendly, accommodating people in the world. It sounds like you had a bad run in with a taxi driver and let it ruin what could have been a great experience. Too bad.

[ABCDiamond]

 

In Cebu they have a massive problem with Tagalog speakers, but they have ended up expanding that "problem" to other dialect speakers.  I will refrain from expanding my thoughts on their attitude.   But it is enough to stop me going back there.  Maybe they need independence from the Philippines ?  Another country with their own language at last ?  That would be fair.

A massive problem? How many times have you visited Cebu? These are some of the most friendly, accommodating people in the world. It sounds like you had a bad run in with a taxi driver and let it ruin what could have been a great experience. Too bad.

 

I spent one month living there, and far from being a bad run in with a taxi driver, the taxi driver was the BEST person we discussed things with, as he was just about the only one who chose to speak Filipino.  Supermarket staff and almost everyone else just refused.  It was a painful month, out of my 10 months stay.  The other 9 months (not in Cebu) we had no problems (Palawan, Albay, Manila, Puerto Galera etc).  

My bottom line is to stick to places that don't give me constant DAILY problems, and the Philippines is full of easier places to live for me.

 

Are you saying that your experiences show that they happily speak Filipino to other Filipino's ?  Even the Philippine government disagree with that. eg:

Many fear that the Philippine Education policy is aimed at the total replacement of English by Filipino. Such fear results in the negative attitude toward Filipino in the cities of Cebu and Bacolod. http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts

 

 

[MikeB]

Are you saying that your experiences show that they happily speak Filipino to other Filipino's ?

No, they speak the local dialect but they generally do whatever they can to accommodate the customer. That has been my experience. I can't get to the link, it says "You are forbidden", even with a US-based IP address. 

[ABCDiamond]

I can't get to the link, it says "You are forbidden", even with a US-based IP address.

 

I get the same "You are forbidden" now.  

Try this: http://www.ncca.gov.ph/about-culture-and-arts/articles-on-c-n-a/article.php?igm=3&i=211

 

they generally do whatever they can to accommodate the customer.  

My experience, for the month I was there, showed that they only do that for English or other non Philippine language speakers, definitely not for Filipino, Bicol or Tagalog speakers, etc.

 

A Filipino with ONLY THREE Philippine languages was not accepted there, because they refuse the National language.

 

We had planned 2 months in Palawan, 2 in Cebu, then 2 in Puerto Galera, trying to choose where to live permanently.

 

We left Cebu early after 1 month, realising we had the language problem there.  Maybe it would have been better for my girlfriend to have used English all the time, ignore her national pride and pretend to be a tourist.

 

We ended up staying much longer in Puerto Galera, where all languages are accepted; Cebuano, Tagalog, even Bicol and with Filipino being used as the common language for all.

 

Pity that PG has no Macdonalds, Jollibee, Chow King, SM, Robinsons, etc :(

[Markham]

Pity that PG has no Macdonalds, Jollibee, Chow King

I would say that was a benefit!

[MacBubba]

Maybe JJ, Julia or Jake can chime in here...isn't the national language, Filipino, really just the nationally and internationally recognized name for Tagalog (since Tagalog is considered regional)?

[Papa Carl]

Maybe JJ, Julia or Jake can chime in here...isn't the national language, Filipino, really just the nationally and internationally recognized name for Tagalog (since Tagalog is considered regional)?

 

Yes, I was a bit confused by this comment as well.

 

When I was living in Negros Oriental, the spoke their local dialect (mainly Visayan) and Tagalog,

 

When in Legazpi City Bicol, they spoke their local dialect (mainly Bicolano) and Tagalog,

 

While in Angeles Pampanga, they speak their local dialect (mainly Kapampangan) and Tagalog.

 

Soooo for me it meant that most places have their own dialect but that Tagalog was the "national dialect" or Filipino dialect?

 

 

papa carl

[MikeB]

In a perfect world there would be no regional dialects but it is what it is. I <sort of> understand the point of this complaint but I part company at calling it a "massive problem". To be sure there are massive problems: poverty, starvation, crumbling infrastructure, lack of services, etc but an unwillingness to speak proper Filipino hardly qualifies. But I have very low expectations, if the taxi driver gets me from point a to b and I'm still alive I don't care if he speaks Swahili.

[brock]

In Cebu isn't it bisaya cebuano

 

I,m English, only understand a few Filipino words, But people understand me ok.

 

Because I couldn't understand a language certainly wouldnt stop me from going there, Thats half the fun.