Even Manny Pacquiao needed to master English to be world-class!

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English is the lingua franca of business and travel worldwide. Yes, the spread of English was the result of colonialism, but not of the Americans, but of the British who at one time said, "The sun never sets on the British Empire."

Regardless of how or why English came to The Philippines, it IS the language of international business and tourism. To ignore it and lose competence for the sake of some childish "national identity" is simply stupid. The English used here is abysmal & even for someone like myself who has been here for 12 years (I teach English), I often find myself trying to make myself understood.

English is just a more varied and colorful language than almost any other. The possible exceptions would be Russian and Farsi, so learn English properly if you want to get ahead in life. This stands true for the entire nation, not just the "elite" or the children of politicians.

Take a look at Manny Pacquiao for an example. When he first fought in America he could not communicate, but he quickly learned that if he wanted to capture the American (money) market he had to be able to speak English so interviews did not need to be translated.

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http://getrealphilippines.com/blog/2015/10/should-filipinos-go-back-to-pursuing-excellence-in-english/#comment-1353481

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