obin Padilla the neophyte senator-elect who garnered the most votes among senatorial hopefuls assured the public that he was ready to fulfill his duties as a senator but noted that he would debate his colleagues in Pilipino and not in English.

We take our hats off to the incoming senator. The Philippines after all has two official languages: Pilipino and English. And we know of no law that requires a legislator to be fluent in both. Many voters were likely aware that Padilla was not fluent in English, but that did not stop them from giving him the most votes.

Admittedly, fluency in both English and Pilipino would be ideal, but it is not a requirement. So long as an individual can express themself coherently in Pilipino or English, that should suffice. More importantly, it is time that we Filipinos shed the yoke of our colonial past which demanded fluency, first in Spanish, then English. Instead we should take pride in our national language.

People across the globe have no problem using in their native tongue, and neither should we. Senator-elect Padilla has brought this issue to the fore. Hopefully, more Filipinos will follow his lead and use Pilipino more often.