Yukari Koike, 28, looks like a typical Japanese national, but wait till you hear her say “Kamusta” and “Opo.” Why, she sounds much better than some Filipinos who abhor their native tongue and take pains instead to master a perfect English diction.
Yukari Koike, 28, looks like a typical Japanese national, but wait till you hear her say “Kamusta” and “Opo.” Why, she sounds much better than some Filipinos who abhor their native tongue and take pains instead to master a perfect English diction.
“Mahirap, ” said this graduate of Philippine Studies in Japan about learning Filipino for four years. Still, she added, “it’s a good time to study Filipino (since) there are many Filipinos going to Japan to work as nurses and caregivers.”
Fortunately for Koike, she learned Filipino from Dr. Masano Oue, who teaches the language at the Osaka University. Oue was awarded the 2017 Gawad Dangal ng Wikang Filipino during the celebration of Filipino Month on Aug. 19, the birth anniversary of Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon.
The Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) chaired by 2003 National Artist for Literature Virgilio Almario honored Oue for his contributions in developing and promoting the Filipino language.
Born in Hiroshima, Japan, Oue was a diplomat specialist in 1991. Working at the Japan Embassy in 1997 when he had to study Filipino for two years kindled his love for the language.
“Maybe it’s destiny, ” he said. “When I was at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I was told to choose a language (to learn) . I chose Filipino because it’s one of the most unpopular then, ” he added.
‘Kapalpakan’
It wasn’ t always easy learning Filipino, he said during the awarding ceremony, recalling an awkward incident over a mispronounced word.
“May nagawa akong kapalpakan (I committed a gaffe) . I was craving tutong (burnt) rice. I asked the vendor: Ma’ am, pahinga naman po ng utong. (can I have some nipple?) The woman laughed and cursed, and I did not understand why — until she explained it to me.”
“I will never forget the word ‘utong,’ ” he said, to much laughter.
In 2012, through the KWF, Oue published a textbook for elementary students.
