Makati public school students wow Spanish minister with their Español

"Necesito un trabajo," the classroom full of teens seemed to say to their VIP guest.

As visiting Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo listened, the students of Bangkal High School in Makati demonstrated their knowledge of the former colonial tongue.

“I'm very happy,” said Garcia-Margallo in a Balitanghali video Tuesday. “I mean, to see these young Filipinos speaking, learning Spanish is very moving for any Spaniard, especially for me.”



The needs of a globalizing economy have caused schools like Bangkal to revisit the Spanish language, which used to be mandatory in Philippines colleges and universities. Now, the students of these public high schools—provided with a Spanish-language Special Education program by the Spanish Embassy and the Instituto Cervantes—are a step ahead of their peers.

The value of broadening their cultural horizons aside, the program comes at an opportune time for young people soon to enter the work force. Garcia-Margallo brought with him a few Spanish investors who are eyeing the Philippines as their next trade hub in Southeast Asia—not just because of its strategic location in the region but also because of the long, if complicated, historical and cultural ties between the two nations.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro, who was also at the event, noted the recent increase of Spanish call centers in the country. Agents at these call centers wouldn't just need to get the basic language right; they would also have to approximate the accent and be comfortable with colloquialisms. The students nailed both, said Garcia-Margallo.

The Spanish foreign minister will next fly to Tacloban to see how Spain's post-Yolanda aid program is doing and to assess the need for more help. — Vida Cruz/BM, GMA News