Top officials of Negros Occidental and Bacolod City yesterday admitted that the English proficiency of Filipinos have indeed declined, and that the province has taken steps to address the problem.

Gov. Joseph Marañon yesterday said that Negros Occidental is working closely with the Department of Education in implementing an English proficiency program. Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia, meanwhile, said he believes that the English language should be given importance, considering that it is now an international language. Leonardia said he was one of those who were against the move of government to give more focus on Tagalog than on English.

The problem is usually the foundation of English learning and the quality of teachers, Marañon said.

"We are trying our best to improve the situation. The problem could deteriorate unless we do something about it," the governor said.

The March 2006 Social Weather Station survey showed that national proficiency in English has declined over the last 12 years.

The survey showed that two out of three Filipino adults (65 percent) understood spoken and written English, while about half (48 percent) said they could write English. A third (32 percent) said they spoke English, while 27 percent said they thought in English. Some 14 percent said they were not competent in any way when it came to English language. Vice Gov. Isidro Zayco said the survey showing that the Filipinos' English skills is declining is an indication of insufficient training in schools.

But the Capitol has a program to address this, he said.

Since last year, the provincial government has been working with the DepEd in the training on Conversational English conducted by John Clements Consultancy Inc.

A total of 375 elementary and secondary public school teachers have attended the training, so far.

The program aims to strengthen the oral English proficiency of public school teachers and students for them to be more competitive, address the low English proficiency of students in public schools and prepare graduates for business outsourcing companies and call center jobs.

Marañon said that the provincial government has also established a Speech Laboratory at the St. Anne's Hospital School of Nursing in Cadiz City to help student nurses develop their oral English skills.

Leonardia, meanwhile also said, "Our initial feedback from people who had started to interview applicants for call center jobs, was that in Bacolod, the rate of people passing is almost five to six times better that the passing rate in Manila."

He said the call center is a growing industry and Bacolod is a potential market, that is why many call centers are interested to open in the city.

Meanwhile, Leonardia appealed to prospective call center agents to develop a sense of loyalty and permanence in the centers where they are employed. *NLG/CGS

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