The new road signs in Angeles City are part of the city government’s measures to revive the use of the Kapampangan language in everyday life.
Angeles is on the road to “preserving and revitalizing Kapampangan dialect by installing over 400 new traffic signages in the local tongue.
Some signs now read Báwal Páparáda Kéni” or No Parking; “Báwal Lúngub Kéni”or Do Not Enter; “Báwal Íng Lilípat Kéni”or No Crossing; and “Báwal Sálingku King Kailî” or No Left Turn.
photo from Inquirer
The first of the Kampangan road signs were put up on September 1 around the McArthur Highway, Fil-Am Friendship Circumferential Road, and Angeles City-Magalang Road.
Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. says the change is pursuant to Ordinance No. 424, which “establishes Kapampangan as an official language of Angeles City and institutionalizing its use in all sectors alongside existing national and official languages."
“Bilang Angeleños, mumuna tamu dapat managuyod king kultura at salitang Kapampangan,” Lazatin said.
The language is not only spoken in Pampanga but also in Bataan, Tarlac, Bulacan, and Nueva Ecija.
This is not the first time the city has encouraged the use of their mother language.
In February, the City Council started writing its resolutions in Kapampangan.
Lazatin also instructed the 76 day care centers in the area to use the dialect as a medium of instruction at least three hours per week should face-to-face classes resume.
He has also asked for help from media entities to raise awareness about Kapampangan to make sure that the next generation can carry the city’s culture and language.
Angeles City Traffic Development Office chief Francis Pangilinan says that the signages will include an English translation as mandated by local traffic laws.
The change was met with mixed feelings as the news spread online. Some applauded the Kapampangan road signs and hope that more cities embrace the use of their native language.
Others think the change was excessive since the Philippines is one of the largest English-speaking nations in the world, if a change was to be made, many feel that Tagalog could have been a better choice.
Tags: #language, #Kapampangan, #AngelesCity, #streetsigns, #culturalheritage