Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Thursday said the introduction of a Tagalog course in Harvard University’s academic offerings “is a source of great national pride.”
Romualdez expressed his support to the premier university’s Filipino language program.
“Our language is our pride! And learning about Harvard’s new Tagalog language course, I am expressing my full support for the program. I hope and pray that the Harvard Tagalog course will flourish and grow in the future to include many aspects of Filipino culture!” Romualdez told Harvard University’s students during a gathering of Filipino community in Massachusetts.
The Speaker delivered a policy speech at the Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government Thursday morning before university officials, faculty members and students in Boston, Massachusetts about the future of the Philippines and United States alliance. This was moderated by Mr. Eric Rosenbach, Co-Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
“The university is one of the top academic institutions in the world, if not the best. Its programs are emulated or duplicated in other institutions of higher learning. That’s why we are truly proud with this development,” Romualdez declared.
Harvard University, an illustrious academic institution that has produced eight US presidents and countless great leaders, has recently decided to include Tagalog in its course offerings, along with Bahasa Indonesia and Thai, according to the student paper Harvard Crimson.
Tagalog is the dialect on which the Filipino language is mostly based. It is reportedly the fourth most spoken language in the US, which is home to some 4.2 million Filipino Americans.
“We express our gratitude to Harvard University for recognizing the need to teach the Filipino language to those interested to learn about our rich and diverse culture. Once again, our country is in the spotlight of the world stage, and I have never been so proud to be a Filipino,” Romualdez said.