Sen. Lito Lapid misled the public when he justified his customary silence in Senate discussions, saying, “Hindi sanay ang dila ko. Unang una kulang ako ng words dahil hindi ako nag-aral. Kulang din sa basa.” While it is unfortunately true that an elitist language excludes many like Lapid in high-brow discussions, it is not an acceptable excuse to remain silent. He can ask his staff or even fellow senators to translate passages he finds difficult. Better still, he can push for the use of the Filipino language in Senate proceedings. Lapid is now serving his seventh year as senator, which is more than enough time to learn how to effectively have a dialogue with his fellow senators. It is not a question of language, it is the sincere desire to engage in a fruitful discussion.
—ARIEL CUSI LOPEZ, Koningstraat 27, Leiden,
The Netherlands, a.c.lopez@umail.leidenuniv.nl