schoolscolleges2020 hed news


SPANISH LANGUANGE AND CULTURE. Fernando Zapico of the Consejeria de Educación de la Embajada de España en Filipinas conducts a lecture on Actividades y Estrategias Comunicativas (Activities and Communication Strategies) and Lengua y Cultura Española en el Mundo (Spanish Language and Culture in the World) at the Talleres de Formación para Professores de Español at Xavier.

By Stephen J Pedroza

Xavier University's Office of International Cooperation and Networking and the Embajada de España en Filipinas jointly organized a 30-hour lecture course for professors and students of Spanish titled, “Talleres de Formación para Professores de Español” on May 16-20 at the speech and language laboratory of the School of Business and Management.

The training was conducted in consonance with the move to internationalize the curricula of Mindanao universities to include foreign languages in programs such as International Studies, History, Hospitality, Business, and Information Communication Technology.


HONING SPANISH. Participants from various schools and organizations in Cagayan de Oro City and Bukidnon listen to the discussion on Philippines’ Hispanic heritage and the Spanish language.

Learning Spanish

Participants from various schools and organizations in Cagayan de Oro and Bukidnon came to enrich their awareness and understanding of the Philippines’ Hispanic heritage and to attain a level of linguistic competence (A1-B1) in the Spanish language.

Fernando Zapico of the Consejeria de Educación de la Embajada de España en Filipinas gave a detailed lecture on Actividades y Estrategias Comunicativas (Activities and Communication Strategies) and Lengua y Cultura Española en el Mundo (Spanish Language and Culture in the World), and gave the participants some classroom projects to work on.

Sharing the discussions with Zapico were language instructors from Xavier. Spanish language Professor Catalina Gaite taught topics on El cortometraje: desarollo de materiales didacticos (Developing teaching materials in Spanish) and Enfoques metodologicos (Methodological approaches in teaching and learning Spanish) together with fellow language instructor Gleford Lagcao.

Reynante Casiro, an AB History instructor from Central Mindanao University, considers learning another language as a potent quality in a globalized setting.

“It’s important to learn a second language, in this case, Spanish, because we are moving towards globalization,” Casiro said. “We need to be competitive particularly in communicating with other people and many countries speak Spanish.”

Casiro also cited that educators, like him, need financial support from the government, private entities and the university administration to improve and better equip themselves and their programs, and to build linkages with related institutions.

“This event is relevant and significant, especially to our AB History program, where 15 units are allotted for learning Spanish, as required by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).”

Spanish was, in SY 1950-1951, a subject included in the last two years of high school but was later removed. In higher education, it was compulsory, as a language requirement consisting of twelve units, which in 1957, was increased to 24 units. In later years, it was reduced to 18, then to twelve units, until in 1987, it became optional.


TEACHING SPANISH. XU's Spanish language Professor Catalina Gaite tackles topics on El cortometraje: desarollo de materiales didacticos (Developing teaching materials in Spanish) and Enfoques metodologicos (Methodological approaches in teaching and learning Spanish).

Historical and cultural nuances

At Xavier, Spanish, in particular, is not just an elective course but a requisite for several programs. Language training is considered an imperative not just in the national capital but also in the provinces, particularly in Mindanao.

Simon Vergara Gutierrez, an American Field Service (AFS) exchange student from Spanish-speaking Colombia shared interesting stories, personalities and festivals from his home country.

During his talk on the last day of Talleres de Formación, the 16-year-old foreign student, related similarities between Colombia and the Philippines in terms of climate, culture, values, and religion, among other facets.


SHARING OF CULTURE. Simon Vergara Gutierrez, an exchange student from Spanish-speaking Colombia, speaks about his home country to the participants of Talleres de Formación on Friday, May 20.

Spain colonized Colombia in 1525 until 1819 when Simón Bolivar’s movement defeated the Spanish forces at Boyaca.

Likewise, the Philippines was a colony of Spain until 1898. Spanish influence on Filipino culture, especially in national and local languages and traditions, persists to this day.

Spanish is the primary language of more than 20 countries worldwide. It is estimated that the combined number of Spanish speakers is between 470 to 500 million. It is also the second most natively spoken language in the world and in international communication.