‘Language should unite us’

MANILA, Philippines - The national language should bond Filipinos together instead of causing disunity, President Aquino said yesterday as the nation observes National Month of the Language.

“Language should unite us and should not be a cause for divisiveness,” the President said in his speech during the National Congress for Language sponsored by the Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino.

Aquino, who delivers most of his speeches in Filipino, said it is pointless to impress the public with highfaluting words that could hardly be understood by the people, especially the masses.

He said he should be able to convey his message clearly to the people, who he regards as his bosses, and report to them the truth in a manner they will understand.

“It’s always better to be understood by a majority of the people, otherwise it’s as if we talked about nothing,” he said.

“I don’t need to sound or look like an intellectual in speaking in a foreign language. I don’t want to mislead people, or earn brownie points for my achievements by making use of flowery words,” he added.