BEFORE THE FINAL competition on Aug.14, the nine finalists of the “Talumpati ng Taon” 2016 launched “Project Abakada” by teaching basic Filipino writing and language to 50 kids of Poblacion 8, Cervantes Ext., Dumaguete City last July 30.
“Project Abakada” is an advocacy of the 20th year anniversary of “Talumpati ng Taon” that aims to teach 3-7 year-old kids basic Filipino language.
“[Learning the Filipino language] should start from these kids. We have to let them know that we have a Filipino language,” Renz Macion, project coordinator of “Project Abakada”, said.
The project also focuses on teaching kids that Filipino is our national language and not Tagalog.
“By this project, we would also want to inspire these kids to go to school,” Macion added.
Aside from giving visual aids like “Abakada” and number charts, the finalists together with Filipino education majors and Miss Silliman 2015, Genin Amiscaray, read popular Pinoy stories to the children.
They also gave out notebooks, pencils, colored pens, and story books to the kids.
“With the new project Abakada, it is a huge leap from the traditional, talumpati-win-end system. It gives meaning to what the competition is all about. It gives life to what these students are fighting for,” Jypson Esturas, one of the top 10 finalists, said.
He added that through this project the finalists of the oratorical competition will put into actions the words they speak during the competition.
Moreover, Sommer Buyante, also one of the top 10 finalists, said that teaching Filipino to the kids is necessary especially in keeping our national language “alive.”
“These young minds are the next in line. We need to engrave in their hearts as early as now the love for our country, and there is no better way to start this but by teaching them our very own language which is our main identity as a country. If we don’t teach our children to be proud of being a Filipino, someone will teach them the opposite,” Buyante added.
The “Talumpati ng Taon” 2016 finals night will be at the Luce Auditorium.
