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Grade 10 student soars in interschool public speaking contest

Grade 10 Gabriel Alomia is 1st runner-up in the Pinaghandaang Talumpati contest at Paco Catholic School.

Grade 10 student Gabriel Angelo Alomia won first runner-up in an interschool Pinaghandaang Talumpati contest held at the Paco Catholic School on August 23, 2016.

The contest was part of the Buwan ng Wika celebrations of the school and pegged at upholding the Filipino language as a wika ng karunugan (language of wisdom).

Alomia delivered his speech from a winning entry in an essay-writing contest at MHSS. His speech lasted for 5 minutes.

The judges looked into the contestants’ speech content, delivery and intonation, gestures, costume, and audience impact.

Filipino teacher and coach Rosel Ann Aba advised Alomia to always be conscious of his stage presence and to speak clearly. She also advised that in case Alomia forgets his lines, he should just “go with the flow.”

Alomia zeroed in on persuading his hearers on the value of the Filipino language calling it a “powerful instrument in understanding one another.” He laments that Filipinos tend to glorify the English language at the expense of forgetting and looking down upon their own language. “In our country, when you hear someone speaking in English, you immediately say ‘Oh, this person is good, this person is intelligent!’ Does this mean that those who speak in Filipino and cannot speak in English are not good, not intelligent?”

Alomia, in his speech, said he hopes to dispel the notion that speaking in Filipino means having a lower intelligence or position in society. He believes that training in the Filipino language is imperative for the people, especially the youth, to value their own language and see it as essential for development.

One of his learnings in this contest is the value of public speaking especially in the field of work. “If you know how to face people or articulate your mind fluently, in a job interview for example, people will immediately think that you’re good. You have to be confident in speaking so your relationship with people will grow,” Alomia concluded.

Alomia believes that training in the Filipino language is imperative for the people to value their own language and see it as essential for development.