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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do all Filipinos speak English?

No. Just to clarify here, I refer to Filipinos whose first language is Tagalog, like myself. They may be U.S. citizens now, been staying in the U.S. for 2, 20 or 40 years, has a college education from the Philippines, among others, but these do not necessarily mean that they can easily understand the legal terms used in the courts, the formal English used in contracts, or the directions in English you're giving them on how to sell their shares through a mutual fund company, or choose their health insurance coverage. There may be public schools all over the Philippines, but these are not entirely free. Although the school fees can be considered minimal for the middle class, it is a major expense for the poor majority.

Even if a Tagalog-speaking Filipino has had primary education in the Philippines, if he/she does not use much of the English language, he/she will tend to "lose" it, too. In fact, when you try to speak in English in the Philippines, and speak it the way it's spoken here, most Filipinos will think that you are speaking in "slang". This is a misnomer when you are not really using any slang words. They are actually referring to the way we sound. Hearing it spoken the "American way" adds to the confusion of the Tagalog-speaking Filipino.

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