The 3rd annual Chamorro Conference begins today at Saipan World Resort with Gov. Benigno R. Fitial in attendance. <\/p>\n
This is the first time Saipan has hosted the event. Guam hosted the first conference and Rota hosted the second. <\/p>\n
On Saturday, Guam Gov. Felix Camacho will help plant a tree at the Man\u2019amko Center to go along with the conference. <\/p>\n
Office on Aging director Howard Macaranas, who is one of the organizers of the event, earlier said the Chamorro language needs to be protected, not just preserved. <\/p>\n
\u201cTo preserve is to just have it there,\u201d Macaranas said. The language needs to be used regularly so it is not lost, he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we don\u2019t do something now and make people realize we need to do something, we might not have it,\u201d Macaranas said.<\/p>\n
He said many people are aware the language is fading but are not doing anything to fix it.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody knows it\u2019s a future problem, but it\u2019s just in the back of their minds,\u201d he said. \u201cEven me, when I was younger, I didn\u2019t care if I spoke Chamorro.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some people speak English because it is convenient, while others are ashamed to speak Chamorro, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to take all those things and tell people there is nothing wrong\u201d with speaking the language, he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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