Language / Wika

There are 183 living languages in the Philippines, among them Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Waray, Kapampangan, Bicolano, Pangasinan, etc. The archipelagoes 7,000 islands and its communities developed many distinct regional languages, not just dialects. Most Philippine languages belong to the Austronesian languages family, except the Sama-Bajau languages, spoken in the south (e.g. Sama, Bajau, Mapun, Yakan) and the modern foreign language (Spanish, English, Hokkien, Mandarin, Arabic).

Art. 14, Sect. 6 of the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines states: “The national language of the Philippines is Filipino. As it evolves it shall be further developed and enriched on the basis of existing Philippine and other languages. Subject of provision of law and as the Congress may deem appropriate, the Government shall take steps to initiate and sustain the use of Filipino as a medium of official communication and as a language of instruction in the education system.”

Filipino is based on Tagalog including words from other Philippine and foreign languages.

Alibata / Baybayin was widely used in pre-colonial times (before 1565) and then gradually replaced by the Latin alphabet, mainly introduced by the Spanish missionaries.

The adoption of a national language dates back to 1935 – 1946 under the American regime. Resistance from the Visayas and Mindanao with its own distinct identity had to be overcome. Tagalog prevailed when President Manuel L. Quezon proclaimed the creation of a national language based on Tagalog in 1937. Tagalog has always been the language of Manila. It was the language of the Katipunan (or KKK to gain independence from Spain founded by Bonifacio and Deodato Arellano in Manila in 1892) and the subsequent Philippine Revolution (1896).

Being granted independence by the USA on July 4, 1946 Filipino, Spanish and English became the lingua franca in government offices.

In 1954 President Ramon Magsaysay gave the national language a further boost when he proclaimed the celebration of a Lingoo ng Wika.

In 1961 the Office of the Secretary of Education introduced the term “Pilipino” when referring to the national language.

In 1974 the Pilipino movement “think Pilipino” started issuing memos, circulars, bulletins, school diplomas and certificates in Pilipino. Pilipino was introduced at the tertiary level.

In 1990 President Corazon Aquino ordered government offices to use Pilipino to communicate and to write. Subsequently the Department of Education and the schools promoted Pilipino, now called Filipino, as a medium of instruction and communication.

Masses and services in churches are in Filipino, so there are versions of the bible and other religious books.

Today national language advocates and institutions like the Commission on the Filipino Language, Sentro ng Wikan Filipino of the University of the Philippines, along with many teachers, researchers, writers, authors and linguists are working to continuously improve the quality of the Filipino language.