MANILA, Philippines — The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) together with Sen. Loren Legarda’s office mounted on Monday a cultural exhibit, which aims to preserve endangered indigenous languages.
The exhibit, which is on display at the Senate building, features the native languages Inatá and the Hàtang Kayé, which are spoken by indigenous groups Atá and Remontádo, respectively.
“Our goal in this exhibit is to show aspects of culture, such as poetries, songs and dances of indigenous languages that are in danger of disappearing,” KWF chairman Arthur Casanova told The STAR.
“The existence of many languages in our country is a reflection of our rich culture,” he added.
A language profiling conducted by the KWF in 2022 showed that only 30 Atá members could speak the native language Inatá.
This year, it was learned that only 18 members of the indigenous group could speak the language.
“We are embarrassed to use our own language because people do not understand us,” Reneboy Francisco, who is a member of Atá from Negros Occidental, said in an interview with The STAR.