MANILA, Philippines – In a home shaped by the discipline of the military and the creativity of media, three young siblings—Elijah, 10, a Grade 6 student; Ysha, 8, Grade3; and toddler Eliel, 2—are growing up in a linguistic tug-of-war. Despite their parents’ conscious effort to prioritize Filipino, it’s English that dominates their daily lives. “We trained them to speak Filipino,” their mother, Ela Navarro, told the Philippine News Agency. “But, they learned English in school and maybe from what they are watching. Eventually, it became their primary language at home.” The English edge English fluency is often considered a passport to […]... Keep on reading: English or Filipino? A family's struggle with modern kids