 Office of The Executive Secretary – Salvador Medialdea

 Department of Foreign Affairs – Teodoro L. Locsin Jr.

 Department of Finance – Carlos Dominguez III
 Department of Agriculture – Emmanuel Piñol
 Department of Public Works and Highways – Mark A. Villar
 Department of Education – Leonor Magtolis Briones
 Department of Labor and Employment – Silvestre H. Bello III
 Department of National Defense – Delfin N. Lorenzana
 Department of Social Welfare and Development – Rolando Joselito D. Bautista
 Department of Agrarian Reform – John R. Castriciones
 Department of Interior and Local Government – Eduardo M. Año
 Department of Transportation and Communications – Arthur Tugade
 Department of Science and Technology – Fortunato Dela Peña
 Department of Budget and Management – Benjamin Diokno
 Department of Energy – Alfonso G. Cusi
 Department of Health – Francisco Duque III
 Department of Trade and Industry – Ramon M. Lopez
 Department of Tourism – Bernadette Romulo Puyat
 Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Roy A. Cimatu
 Department of Information and Communications Technology – Eliseo Rio Jr.
 National Economic Development Authority – Ernesto Pernia
 Office of the Presidential Spokesperson – Ernesto “Ernie” Abella
 Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process – Jesus Dureza
 Presidential Adviser for the Visayas – Michael Lloyd Diño
 Presidential Management Staff – Usec. Ferdinand B. Cui Jr.
 Presidential Communications Operations Office – Martin Andanar
 Bureau of Customs – Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero
 Bureau of Internal Revenue – Commissioner Cesar R. Dulay
 Bureau of Immigration – Commissioner Jaime Hermo Morente
 National Intelligence Coordinating Agency – Paul Alex Monteagudo
 National Bureau of Investigation – Attorney Dante Gierran
 Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency- Director General Aaron N. Aquino
 Land Transportation Office – Edgar Galvante
 Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board – Attorney Martin Delgra
 National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council – Ricardo Jalad
 Office of the Solicitor General – Jose Calida
 Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. – Chairman and CEO Andrea D. Domingo
 Philippine National Police – Chief Oscar Albayalde
 Armed Forces of the Philippines – Lieutenant Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr.
 Presidential Security Group – Col. Jose Eriel Niembra
 National Security Council – Director Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr.
 Presidential Legal Counsel – Salvador Panelo
 Secretary to the Cabinet – Karlo Nograles

This week, the Philippines has seen President Duterte deliver his 3rd State of the Nation
Address (SONA). While many can agree that he wasn’t his usual candid self (read: blunt), he
managed to tick off all the points in the list that needed to be addressed.
Because we value prudent financial spending and everything that empowers our consumers’
finances, we list down the top policies that have made an impact in Filipinos finances under the
Duterte Administration in the past 2 years.

5. Transportation

The transportation scene in the Philippines is basically as chaotic as it could get. It was handed
over to the administration with eight trains barely operating, hopeless EDSA traffic, a close to 3-
year delay of license plates release, airport taxis causing troubles frequently, and the list goes
on.

The past years have been critical for the transport scene in the Philippines, and it still is now.
Public transportation can still get chaotic every now and then, however, some of the biggest
pains that the government faced when it first started are slowly getting remedied.

For instance, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has gradually addressed the lack of
trains in the MRT while making sure all the facilities are well maintained, from the public
restrooms to the escalators. By no means are they perfect, but for the most part they now
function as expected and facilities are tolerable. The repair is still ongoing and according to
DoTr, they may get 12 more trains after the repairs are done this year.

On the other hand, it won’t be long until car owners can let go of their license plate receipts, as
Land Transportation Office (LTO) has finally started distributing license plates nationwide. To
make sure the backlogs are delivered as soon as possible, the government established its own
license plate manufacturing facility, which is capable of making 22,000 plates per day at full
capacity.

Jeepney modernization received a mixed reception from both the riding public and the public
transport operators. While its aim is to provide safer and more comfortable transport to
commuters, many jeepney operators and drivers are against the modernization because of the
expensive overhead cost that it would entail. Despite that, the government has relentlessly
pushed the agenda forward, and they have just launched the first batch of modernized jeepneys
this month. These new jeepneys will start taking on the streets across Metro Manila on July 23.

The transportation scene in the Philippines still has a long way to go. It is definitely lagging
behind its neighboring nations such as Singapore, Malaysia, and even Indonesia. However, the
future seems to be looking bright for the riding public as the jeepney modernization is slowly
getting realized, the train system getting expanded and is relentlessly being enhanced, and a
new subway system in the making on the horizon.

4. Local business

In his third State of the Nation Address, the President said the state would “sustain” efforts to
make doing business in the country easier. He has consistently expressed his disappointment
towards the bureaucracy of doing business with government agencies in the Philippines.
 This year, he was able to pass a law that will cut the red tape in dealing with different agencies
in the Philippines, streamlining the process, making it easier and speedier in accomplishing
works. The President signed the Ease of Doing Business Act last May, requiring government
agencies to act on applications within three days for simple transactions, seven days for
complex ones and 20 days for the highly technical applications.

3. Healthcare

The Universal Healthcare bill aims to provide a full spectrum of health services to individuals
and communities, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative
care. Its proponent Joseph Ejercito assured that this bill will provide Universal Healthcare to all
Filipinos, by lessening the out-of-the-pocket expenses needed for healthcare needs.

The proposed measure will be applied to both inpatient and outpatient care and will cover the
cost of medicine (prescription drugs), diagnostic studies, vaccination, geriatric care, personal
and preventive services, rehabilitation services, and etc. Aside from that, this bill will also
provide an improvement to government hospital facilities and further increase bed capacities.
This bill isn’t a law yet, thus Duterte has urged its speedy passage during his 3rd SONA.

Aside from this bill which hasn’t seen the light of the day yet, Duterte has also launched different
measures to address the following issues the healthcare system in the Philippines is facing:

 Lingap Sa Masa This initiative is delivered through the Department of Social Welfare and
Development. It’s a medical assistance program by the Office of the President to deliver health
services and free medicine to indigent and patients with little to no resources in government
hospitals. Early in 2017, this program was funded with PHP1 billion by the Office of the
President.
Lingap sa Masa started in Davao City during Duterte’s term as Mayor and is now extended
nationwide as he sits as the Chief Executive of the land.

 Anti-Hospital Deposit Law

Another measure that he turned into a law last year was the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law. This
does not necessarily cut the cost on hospital bills, but it can save lives during medical
emergencies.
Republic Act No. 10932, otherwise known as the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law provides that “in
emergency or serious cases, it shall be unlawful for any hospital or medical clinic to request,
solicit, demand or accept any deposit or any other form of advance payment as prerequisite for
administering basic emergency care, for confinement or medical treatment, or to refuse to
administer medical treatment and support to any patient.”

Our Healthcare System still has a long way to go to become highly inclusive for everyone
despite the income bracket and the occupation (or the lack thereof). However, what the
administration has started seems to be a good start in the right direction.

2. Education
The Free Tuition Fee Law is perhaps the Duterte Administration’s most positive achievements
to date. In his effort to bridge this gap between the poor and education, Duterte signed “The
Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act” or Republic Act 10931 on August 3, 2017.
The law aims to waive school fees to provide an opportunity for every Filipino to earn a higher
education and a degree in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Local Universities and
Colleges (LUC).

According to the data from the Philippine News Agency, close to 900,000 Filipino students who
enrolled in 112 SUCs for the academic year 2017-2018 benefited from the PHP8 billion Grant of
Free Tuition in SUCs, while kindergarten enrolment has increased from 65% in 2016 to 84% in
2017.

Around 1.3 million students enrolled in SUCs and LUCs will finally enjoy free tuition and
miscellaneous fees beginning the academic year of 2018-2019 while 300,000 poor students will
also earn tertiary education subsidy apart from free tuition and miscellaneous fees through
CHED’s Unified Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education Act (UNIFAST).

Tertiary education in the Philippines is now within reach, even for the poor. Not only will this
even out the playing field for the younger generation to achieve a good education, it will also
lessen the burden of the parents and students who are struggling their way through college.

1. Taxes

Bigger take-home pay with some compromise – that’s what this tax reform is all about. As the
tax paying workers in the country pocket bigger tax savings, the government will be losing a
huge chunk of revenue from income tax collection. In order to address this compromise, certain
adjustments were made which led to increasing commodity prices. While it may have provided
more disposable income to the working population, the burden of compensating for those lost
taxes are placed on every consumer’s shoulders.

Many people will argue that this reform did not turn out the way it was expected and that it has a
jarring contribution to the relentless inflation that the country is currently facing. Many expressed
their sentiments of this reform as anti-poor because after all, not everyone in the lower end of
the socioeconomic spectrum was able to benefit from the personal income tax cuts.

However, it’s also worth noting that this tax reform is funding some of the government’s projects
that are aimed at addressing poverty directly, like the Free Tuition Fee Law and the Universal
Health Care. The “Build! Build! Build!” initiative isn’t the only project that’s greatly dependent on
the TRAIN Law.

With that being said, the TRAIN law may have impacted the spending power of consumers, for
better or worse. However, in return, it paved the way for a more inclusive healthcare system and
extended college education to the poorest population.

The TRAIN law indeed has flaws, and hopefully, their mitigating measures will be efficient
enough to help the people (especially the poor) get by the current socio-economic climate. The
good news is, the government has started its initiative to help jeepney drivers combat rising fuel
prices through their fuel subsidy program. If this measure is efficiently dispersed to its
beneficiary, this will translate into a less financial burden to transport system operators,
jeepneys, and even commuters.

However, little is known whether there are more measures like this in the government’s pipeline,
but more tax exemptions on daily commodities will cushion consumers from the impact of the
rising cost of living due to unyielding inflation.

MANILA—Malacañang on Monday released its own yearend report touting what it says are key
accomplishments by President Rodrigo Duterte's administration in 2018.

Among those the Palace considers as accomplishments are the rehabilitation of Boracay, the return of
the Balangiga bells, the regularization of more than 400,000 workers from August 2016 to December
2018 due to efforts against the end-of-contract practice, the signing of the Organic Law for the
Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and the entry of Mislatel as the Philippines'
third telecommunications firm.

Here other key accomplishments by the Duterte administration compiled in a 56-page report by
Malacañang:

 A 6.1% growth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product for the third quarter of 2018;
 A 3.3% increase of the country’s total export valued at $6.11 billion from $5.91
billion as of October 2018;
 A 31% increase on year-on-year Foreign Direct Investment inflows at $7.4 billion
from January to August 2018, compared to $5.7 billion recorded in the same period
the previous year;
 The signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between the Philippines and Kuwait,
wherein both countries agreed to uphold ethical recruitment policies, systems, and
procedures for the recruitment and employment of domestic workers;
 The completion of major infrastructure projects such as Taguig Integrated Terminal
Exchange; Caraycaray Bridge in Biliran; Lisap Bridge in Bongabong, Oriental
Mindoro; Davao River Bridge in Davao City, Davao Del Sur; Sugpon Bridge in
Sugpon, Ilocos Sur; Adriatico Bridge replacement; the P8.53-million road repair
leading to the Caticlan Jetty Port in Malay, Aklan; Napindan Bridge II, Taguig City;
Pasac-Culcul Bridge 1 and 2; and the reconstruction of Otis Bridge;
 The groundbreaking for the construction of major infrastructure projects such as the
Philippine National Railways Manila-Clark Project Phase 1; South East Metro Manila
Express way Project; Binondo-Intramuros Bridge and Estrella Pantaleon Bridge;
Phase 2, Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project; and Panguil Bay
Bridge;
 Installation and construction of 6,392 small-scale irrigation projects from July 2016 to
November 2018 to provide supplemental irrigation to high-value crops during the dry
season;
 The signing of key pieces of legislation such as the Universal Access to Quality
Tertiary Education Act, the Masustansyang Pagkain para sa Batang Pilipino Act, the
 Ease of Doing Business Act, the Philippine Mental Health Law, the Universal Health
Care Law, the Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act, the Balik Scientist Law,
the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the
Free Irrigation Act, and the Philippine National Identification System Act;
 The launch of the Overseas Filipino Bank to cater to the needs of OFWs, strengthen
government’s presence in the remittance market and eventually influence lower costs
of bank remittance;
 And an 8.32% increase in tourist arrivals with 5.36 million foreign-visitor arrivals
from January to September 2018.

The Palace report also included a positive outlook for the country from several organizations,
including the Mastercard Asia-Pacific consumer confidence survey, which showed the highest
optimism level for the Philippines in Asia; and the 2018 Henley Passport Index, where the
Philippines climbed 3 places to rank 72nd.

The report also highlighted the approval ratings of Duterte from various social-research
organizations.

"2019 will certainly be an exciting year with the following milestones, which started this year
beginning to bear fruit. The Philippine National Identification System has been signed into law and
the start of full rollout is expected next year," said Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo.

"A plebiscite for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will be held next year.
The Philippines is hosting the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. A new major player in the public
telecommunications market has been officially confirmed,” he added. — With a report from Pia
Gutierrez, ABS-CBN News
Mga teorya ng pinagmulan ng wika

Maraming haka-haka tungkol sa pinagmulan ng wika. Bukod sa dami-daming teorya ng iba’t

ibang tao hindi pa rin maipaliwanag kung saan, paano at kailan talaga nagsimula ang wika.
Tinatanggap ng mga dalubwika na hanggang sa ngayon ay wala pa ring katiyakan ang iba’t
ibang teorya tungkol sa pinagmulan nito. Isa itong palaisipang hanggang sa kasalukuyan ay
hinahanapan ng patunay subalit nananatili pa ring hiwaga o misteryo.

Teorya ang tawag sa siyentipikong pag-aaral sa iba’t ibang paniniwala ng mga bagay-bagay na
may mga batayin subalit hindi pa lubusang napapatunayan. Iba’t ibang pagsipat o lente ang
pinanghahawakan ng iba’t ibang eksperto. Ang iba ay siyentipiko ang paraan ng pagdulog
samantalang relihiyoso naman sa iba. May ilang nagkakaugnay at may ilan namang ang layo
ng koneksiyong sa isa’t isa. Narito ang iba’t ibang teorya ng wika sa tulong ng talahanayan.

Tore ng Babel

Batay sa istorya ng Bibliya, iisa lang ang wika noong unang panahon kaya’t walang suliranin sa
pakikipagtalastasan ang tao. Naghangad ang tao na higitan ang kapangyarihan ng Diyos,
naging mapagmataas at nag-ambisyong maabot ang langit, at nagtayo ng pakataas-taas na
tore. Mapangahas at mayabang na ang mga tao, subalit pinatunayan ng Diyos na higit siyang
makapangyarihan kaya sa pamamgitan ng kaniyang kapangyarihan, ginuho niya ang tore.
Ginawang magkakaiba ang Wika ng bawat isa, hindi na magkaintindihan at naghiwa-hiwalay
ayon sa wikang sinasalita. (Genesis kabanata 11:1-8)

Bow-wow

Ayon sa teoryang ito, maaaring ang wika raw ng tao ay mula sa panggagaya sa mga tunog ng
kalikasan. Ang mga primitibong tao diumano ay kulang na kulang sa mga bokabularyong
magagamit. Dahil dito, ang mga bagay-bagay sa kanilang paligid ay natutunan nilang tagurian
sa pamamagitan ng mga tunog na nalilikha ng mga ito. Marahil ito ang dahilan kung bakit ang
tuko ay tinatawag ng tuko dahil sa tunog na nalilikha ng nasabing insekto. Pansinin ang mga
batang natututo pa lamang magsalita. Hindi ba’t nagsisimula sila sa panggagaya ng mga tunog,
kung kaya’t ang tawag nila sa aso ay aw-aw at sa pusa ay miyaw. Ngunit kung totoo ito, bakit
iba-iba ang tawag sa aso halimbawa sa iba’t ibang bansa gayong ang tunog na nalilikha ng aso
sa Amerika man o sa Tsina ay pareho lamang?

Ding-dong

Kahawig ng teoryang bow-bow, nagkaroon daw ng wika ang tao, ayon sa teoryang ito, sa
pamamagitan ng mga tunog na nalilikha ng mga bagay-bagay sa paligid. Ngunit ang teoryang
ito ay hindi limitado sa mga kalikasan lamang kungdi maging sa mga bagay na likha ng tao.
Ayon sa teoryang ito, lahat ng bagay ay may sariling tunog na siyang kumakatawan sa bawat
isa at ang tunog niyon ang siyang ginagad ng mga sinaunang tao na kalauna’y nagpabagu-
bago at nilapatan ng iba’t ibang kahulugan. Tinawag din ito ni Max Muller na simbolismo ng
tunog.
Pooh-pooh

Unang natutong magsalita ang mga tao, ayon teoryang ito, nang hindi sinasadya ay
napabulalas sila bunga ng mga masisidhing damdamin tulad ng sakit, tuwa, sarap, kalungkutan,
takot, pagkabigla at iba pa. Pansinin nga naman ang isang Pilipinong napapabulalas sa sakit.
Hindi ba’t siya’ y napapa-Aray! Samantalang ang mga Amerikano ay napapa-ouch! Ano’ng
naibubulalas natin kung tayo’y nakadarama ng tuwa? Ng sarap? Ng takot?

Yo-he-ho

Pinaniniwalaan ng linggwistang si A.S. Diamond (sa Berel, 2003) na ang tao ay natutong
magsalita bunga diumano ng kanyang pwersang pisikal. Hindi nga ba’t tayo’y nakalilikha rin ng
tunog kapag tayo’y nag-eeksert ng pwersa. Halimbawa, ano’ng tunog ang nililikha natin kapag
tayo’y nagbubuhat ng mabibigat na bagay, kapag tayo’y sumusuntok o nangangarate o kapag
ang mga ina ay nanganganak?

Yum-yum

Katulad ng teoryang ta-ta, sinasabi rito na ang tao ay tutugon sa pamamagitan ng pagkumpas
sa alinmang bagay na nangangailangan ng aksiyon. Ang pagtugong ito ay isinasagawa sa
pamamagitan ng bibig ayon sa posisyon ng dila. Katulad halos ng teoryang ta-ta ang paliwanag
ng mga proponent ng teoryang ito sa pinagmulan ng wika.

Ta-ta

Ayon naman sa teoryang ito, ang kumpas o galaw ng kamay ng tao na kanyang ginagawa sa
bawat partikular na okasyon ay ginaya ng dila at naging sanhi ng pagkatuto ng taong lumikha
ng tunog at kalauna’y nagsalita. Tinatawag itong ta-tana sa wikang Pranses ay
nangangahulugang paalam o goodbye sapagkat kapag ang isang tao nga namang
nagpapaalam ay kumakampay ang kamay nang pababa at pataas katulad ng pagbaba at
pagtaas na galaw ng dila kapag binibigkas ang salitang ta-ta.

Sing-song

Iminungkahi ng linggwistang si Jesperson na ang wika ay nagmula sa paglalaro, pagtawa,

pagbulong sa sarili, panliligaw at iba pang mga bulalas-emosyunal. Iminungkahi pa niya na
taliwas sa iba pang teorya, ang mga unang salita ay sadyang mahahaba at musikal, at hindi
maiikling bulalas na pinaniniwalaan ng marami.

Hey you!

Hawig ito ng teoryang pooh-pooh. Iminungkahi ng linggwistang si Revesz na bunga ng

interpersonal na kontak ng tao sa kanyang kapwa tao ang wika. Ayon kay Revesz, nagmula ang
wika sa mga tunog na nagbabadya ng pagkakakilanlan (Ako!) at pagkakabilang (Tayo!).
Napapabulalas din tayo bilang pagbabadya ng takot, galit o sakit (Saklolo!). Tinatawag din itong
teoryang kontak.

Coo Coo

Ayon sa teoryang ito, ang wika ay nagmula sa mga tunog na nalilikha ng mga sanggol. Ang
mga tunog daw na ito ang ginaya ng mga matatanda bilang pagpapangalan sa mga bagay-
bagay sa paligid, taliwas sa paniniwala ng marami na ang mga bata ang nanggagaya ng tunog
ng mga matatanda.

Babble Lucky

Ayon sa teoryang ito, ang wika raw ay nagmula sa mga walang kahulugang bulalas ng tao. Sa
pagbubulalas ng tao, sinuwerte lamang daw siya nang ang mga hindi sinasadya at walang
kabuluhang tunog na kanyang nalikha ay naiugnay sa mga bagay-bagay sa paligid na kalaunan
ay naging pangalan ng mga iyon.

Hocus Pocus

Ayon kay Boeree (2003), maaaring ang pinanggalingan ng wika ay tulad ng pinanggalingan ng
mga mahikal o relihiyosong aspeto ng pamumuhay ng ating mga ninuno. Maaari raw kasing
noo’y tinatawag ng mga unang tao ang mga hayop sa pamamagitan ng mga mahikal na tunog
na kalaunan ay naging pangalan ng bawat hayop.

Eureka!

Sadyang inimbento ang wika ayon sa teoryang ito. Maaari raw na ang ating
mga ninuno ay may ideya ng pagtatakda ng mga arbitraryong tunog upang
ipakahulugan sa mga tiyak na bagay. Nang ang mga ideyang iyon ay nalikha,
mabilis na iyong kumalat sa iba pang tao at naging kalakaran sa
pagpapangalan ng mga bagay-bagay (Boeree, 2003).

La-la

Mga pwersang may kinalaman sa romansa. Ang salik na nagtutulak sa tao

upang magsalita.

Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay
Likas sa mga sinaunang tao ang mga ritwal. Sila ay may mga ritwal sa halos
lahat ng gawain tulad ng sa pakikidigma, pagtatanim, pag-aani, pangingisda,
pagkakasal, pagpaparusa sa nagkasala, panggagamot, maging sa paliligo at
pagluluto. Kaakibat ng mga ritwal na iyon ay ang pagsasayaw, pagsigaw
atincantation o mga bulong. Ayon sa teoryang ito, ang wika raw ng tao ay
nag-ugat sa mga tunog na kanilang nililikha sa mga ritwal na ito na kalauna’y
nagpapabagu-bago at nilapatan ng iba’t ibang kahulugan.

Mama

Ayon sa teoryang ito, nagmula ang wika sa mga pinakamadadaling pantig ng

pinakamahahalagang bagay. Pansinin nga naman ang mga bata. Sa una’ y
hindi niya masasabi ang salitang mother ngunit dahil ang unang pantig ng
nasabing salita ang pinakamahalaga diumano, una niyang nasasabi
ang mama bilang panumbas sa salitang mother.

Rene Descartes

Hindi pangkaraniwang hayop ang tao kung kaya’t likas sa kaniya ang
gumamit ng wika na aangkop sa kaniyang kalikasan bilang tao. May aparato
ang tao lalo na sa kaniyang utak gayundin sa pagsasalita upang magamit sa
mataas at komplikadong antas ang wikang kailangan niya hindi lamang para
mabuhay bagkus magampanan ang iba’t ibang tungkulin nito sa kaniyang
buhay.

Plato

Nalikha ang wika bunga ng pangangailangan. Necessity is the mother of all

invention. Sa paniniwalang ito, gaya ng damit, tirahan at pagkain,
pangunahing pangangailangan din ng tao ang wika kung kaya’t naimbento ito
ng tao.

Jose Rizal

Kung lahat ng likas na bagay ay galing sa Poong Maykapal, bakit hindi ang
wika? Naniniwala ang pambansang bayani na kaloob at regalo ng Diyos ang
wika sa tao.
Charles Darwin

Nakikipagsalaparan ang tao kung kaya’t nabuo ang wika. Survival of the
fittest, elimination of the weakest. Ito ang simpleng batas ni Darwin. Upang
mabuhay ang tao, kailangan niya ng wika. Ito ay nakasaad sa aklat na
Lioberman (1975) na may pamagat na “On the Origin of Language”, sinasaad
dito na ang pakikipagsapalaran ng tao para mabuhay ang nagtuturo sa kanya
upang makalikha ng iba’t ibang wika.

Wikang Aramean

May paniniwalang ang kauna-unahang wikang ginagamit sa daigdig ay ang

lenggwahe ng mga Aramean. Sila ang mga sinaunang taong nanirahan sa
Syria (Aram) at Mesopotamia. Tinatawag na Aramaic ang kanilang wika.

Haring Psammatichos

Sinasabi sa paniniwalang ito na bilang hari ng Ehipto, gumawa ng isang

eksperimento si Psammatichos kung paano nga ba nakapagsasalita ang tao.
May dalawang sanggol siyang pinalaki sa loob ng kuweba at mhigpit na
ipinag-tos na hindi ito dapat makarinig ng anumang salita. Sa tagal ng
panahon nakapagsalita raw ng “Bekos” ang dalawang bata na ang ibig
sabihin ay tinapay. Sa maikling sabi, likas na natututuhan ng tao ang wika
kahit hindi ituro ang pinanghahawakan ng teoryang ito.

Alin sa mga teoryang ito ang wasto? Hindi natin matutukoy. Kaya
nga teorya ang tawag sa mga ito, mga haka-haka lamang na mahirap
patunayan at husgahan. Ang pagpipilit na ang isa ang tama ay tiyak na
hahantong lamang sa walang hanggang pagtatalo. Bawat teorya ay may sari-
sariling kalakasan at kahinaan na maaaring maging batayan upang ating
paniwalaan o di kaya’y tanggihan. Magkagayon man, mahalaga ang bawat isa
sa pagtalakay sa pinagmulan ng wika.