Actress Marian Rivera says she remains unfazed by criticisms about her English fluency, stressing that language should not be the measure of a person’s intelligence or ability.
“May mga tao kasi talaga na madaling manghusga ng kapwa nila,” Rivera said in an interview on Zeinab Harake’s vlog uploaded Aug. 10. “Pero ‘di nila alam ‘yung pinanggalingan, bakit ‘yung isang tao ay nagiging ganoon.”
Rivera shared that she grew up with her grandmother, who did not finish high school, so she was never taught to speak fluent English at home.
“At ang lola ko, hindi nakapagtapos ng high school. ‘Yun ‘yung pinanggalingan ko. Sino ang magtuturo sa akin para maging fluent ako sa English?” she said.
She added that she could learn English if she wanted to, but chose to focus on the language where she feels most comfortable and happy.
“Just to please everyone to speak English, bakit ‘yun magiging basehan ng pagiging mahusay?” Rivera asked.
“Ang mahalaga, may natututunan ka, totoo ka sa sarili mo, at gusto mo ‘yung ginagawa mo. Kapag andoon lahat ng elementong ‘yun, bakit ko kailangang palaging iprove ‘yung sarili ko? Dito ako kuntento, dito ako masaya, at dito komportable.”
The actress even gamely addressed the camera and quipped in English, “I can try if you like. Come on, guys,” prompting Harake to laugh and clap. “‘Di ba? Ang dali-dali, parang pag-aartista lang ‘yan. In script, pwede ko namang pag-aralan, pwede ko namang imemorize ito.”
Rivera said she has no problem speaking English when brand endorsements require it, but reiterated that she prefers Filipino in daily life.
Earlier in the vlog, Harake admitted she sometimes fears posting videos because of possible grammar mistakes. Rivera encouraged her to focus less on judgment from others and more on authenticity.
She recalled her grandmother’s advice when she first entered showbiz: “As long as wala kang tinatapakang tao, ‘yun ang reminder ng lola ko. Kaya what you see is what you get. Simula noon hanggang ngayon, ito talaga. Anong gagawin ko?”
Rivera has long been vocal about her stance on language. In 2021, she served as a Miss Universe judge in Israel and was bashed for her English. At the time, she said, “Aaminin ko na hindi naman talaga English ang first language ko kung hindi Filipino. At kinuha nila ako dahil sa aking body of work bilang isang Filipina… So ie-express ko ang sarili ko na naaayon sa nararamdaman ko sa araw na ’yan.”
She also went viral in 2024 during the Century Superbods event when she asked a contestant a question in Filipino, only to translate it into English after he didn’t understand.
Marian Rivera is best known for her roles in ‘MariMar’, ‘Dyesebel’, ‘Darna’, and ‘Rewind’. She married her longtime boyfriend, actor Dingdong Dantes, in December 2014.
