CEBU City Councilor Joel Garganera noticed that personnel of some fastfood chains and restaurants in Cebu City use Tagalog, if not English, in dealing with their customers.

This prompted Garganera to endorse a resolution to the City Council, urging food establishments to encourage employees to speak Binisaya, or Cebuano, when serving clients.

The council approved the resolution on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020.

Garganera said the employees and their customers could better understand each other if they spoke in Cebuano.

According to Garganera, speaking the native language can help promote and preserve it.

The practice is also vital in providing a “sense of unity” as there are more than 20 million Cebuano speakers in the Philippines, Garganera said.

“The Cebuano language is significant because it is a repository of our rich culture and history and it forms a huge part of our identity,” he said. (JJL)