MANILA, Philippines -- If she were another Asian or European, beauty titlist Janina San Miguel could have gotten away with her English gaffe. But the trouble is, she's a Filipino, Cebu Representative Eduardo Gullas said Saturday.

"The truth is, if Ms San Miguel had been Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, or French, nobody would have cared about her awkward English. People would have totally ignored it. They would have excused her right away,'' Gullas said.

"But she is Filipino, and English is our highly favored second language. So people expected more from her,'' he added in a statement.

San Miguel, 17, has caused a stir with her awkward answer to a question in English during last week's Bb. Pilipinas Beauty Pageant, but still won the title of Bb. Pilipinas to represent the Philippines in the Miss World pageant.

Her gaffe has become the butt of jokes, and been featured on YouTube.

Gullas, principal author of a bill seeking to boost the Filipinos' English skills by reinstating English as the medium of instruction in all school levels, said he found the video "tormenting,'' but said the beauty titlist's gaffe was proof of the youth's declining proficiency in English.

Her sensational failure to answer a simple question in straight English "betrays the fading competence of a growing number of young Filipinos in the world's lingua franca,'' he said.

Citing India's experience, Gullas urged young Filipinos to master English, or risk getting left behind in the competition for high-paying jobs.

"Those who fail to acquire adequate English skills will be marginalized in the lucrative job markets of the future. If we look closely at India's recent economic boom, the Indians benefiting the most in terms of improved standards of living are mainly those with English skills. This is because they are the ones cornering the good-paying jobs," Gullas said.

"The Indians without English skills are the ones getting left behind economically. Without access to gainful employment, they remain mired in poverty, amid the economic boom there," he added.

Gullas's bill has been endorsed by 207 of 240 members of the House of Representatives.

The congressman, however, voiced confidence that San Miguel would improve her English before the Miss World pageant in November.

"She will recover quickly, no doubt about that. We wish her good luck," he said.

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority has offered a free crash course on English to future beauty pageant candidates.