Philippine E-Journals

Spanish in the Philippines

Evergisto Bazaco

Discipline: History

 

Abstract:

This is what has been often said to us as the foremost cause why the Spanish language has not been made more common in the Islands. And, in general, they conceive of the word "friar" as any missionary or priest, mainly Peninsular. But, at the "II CONGRESO DE HISPANISTAS", a certain orator brought to light new causes for the failure in the propagation of Spanish. After having stated emphatically that "there had been no opposition in the imparting of Spanish to the Filipinos before the opening of the Suez Canal, neither on the part of the friars, who provided for the education and instruction of the natives of the country, nor on the part of the Spanish seculars", he affirmed: "There had been only reluctance in the teaching of Spanish; a reluctance that could be construed from the absence of scientific methods in the Spanish courses offered."