A National Language Is Born
The adoption of a national language for Filipinos came during the Commonwealth years (1935 to 1946) under the American regime. It was not easy for proponents of a national language to push Tagalog as the basis for a language that was to be used from Luzon to the Visayas and all the way down to Mindanao. The three main island groupings in the Philippines each has its own distinct identity as the archipelagic nature of the country gave rise to a wide variety of cultures and languages separated by seas and strengthened by history.
Populated then by an estimated 16 million inhabitants, the Philippines had a diverse collection of 172 languages of which three are already extinct. Eight major languages (Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Bicolano, Waray, Kapampangan and Pangasinan) all belong to the Malayo-Polynesian linguistic family but no two are mutually comprehensible. In the 1980s, these eight languages and their dialects were spoken by 90% of the population (see Language Map of the Philippines on page 12). Even though they are separate languages, they are closely related (like French, Italian and Spanish), and some languages are much closer than others—for example, Ilocano and Pangasinan speakers might find little difficulty in learning each other’s languages in contrast to learning any of the Visayan languages. The same can be said for Visayan speakers of Cebuano, Hiligaynon and Waray with regards to learning each other’s languages and the opposite for learning the Northern Luzon languages.
It is thus understandable that fierce opposition from certain non-Tagalog legislators and rabid advocates of the English language delayed somewhat the entire process of adopting a national language. In the end, however, Tagalog prevailed when President Manuel L. Quezon proclaimed the creation of a national language based on Tagalog on December 31, 1937. The body which was responsible for the adoption of the national language was the National Language Institute created by President Quezon. It was composed of non-Tagalogs and Tagalog representatives from different regions in the country. The Chairman was Jaime C. de Veyra from Samar, Leyte, with the following as members: Santiago A. Fonacier (Ilocano); Filomeno Sotto (Cebu, Visayas); Casimiro T. Perfecto (Bicol); Felix Sales Rodriguez (Panay, Visayas); Madji Butin (Mindanao) and Dr. Cecilio Lopez (Tagalog).
Tagalog was chosen as the basis for the Philippines’ national language for the following reasons:
1. Tagalog is the most widely spoken and the most widely understood language in all regions of the Philippines. By 1989, 25% of the Philippine population spoke Tagalog as their mother tongue. They are scattered across the Tagalog regions, or Katagalugan , stretching from the central to the southern parts of Luzon island and covering 10 major provinces—Nueva Ecija, Aurora, Bataan, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Metro Manila (or the National Capital Region), Quezon and Rizal—as well as parts of the islands of Marinduque and Mindoro. Further away from these regions, there has been less exposure to Tagalog and one finds a lower competency level in the language.
Compared to Tagalog, the second most widely-spoken Philippine language—Cebuano—was spoken by 24% of the population in 1989 but is mostly understood only by its own speakers. Other major languages including Ilocano, Hiligaynon, Bicol and Waray are spoken by 5% to 9% of the total population. Many other languages or dialects are spoken by the remaining 22% of the population. Recent 2000 census figures reveal that around 29% of the total population speak Tagalog as their first language and 65% speak or understand the language with varying degrees of proficiency.
2. It is not divided into dialects unlike the Visayan languages. There are three major Visayan languages: Cebuano, Hiligaynon and Waray. Cebuano is spoken in many parts of the Visayan and Mindanao regions but residents from various provinces have their own distinct Cebuano sub-languages or dialects. There may be variations in the Tagalog language but these are still comprehensible to all native Tagalog speakers.
3. Tagalog has the richest literature . More books are written and published in Tagalog than in any other native language.
4. Tagalog has always been the language of Manila , the country’s capital city, even long before the Spanish came. As the capital city, Manila houses all the major government offices from Malacanang Palace down to the administration’s smallest bureaus. At present, economic and political decisions are decided in Manila and its surrounding provinces and cities, which also speak Tagalog. Historically, though, Cebu is the first and oldest city in the Philippines. It is also an alternate gateway to the nation from abroad.
5. Tagalog was the language of the Revolution and the Katipunan , two major events in Philippine history.
On June 18, 1938, the Philippine National Assembly created the Institute of National Language (this institute was different from the National Language Institute which was eventually dissolved). Two years after the institute was established, two monumental language books in Tagalog were presented to President Quezon: the Tagalog-English Dictionary authored by Dr. Cecilio Lopez and the Balarila ng Wikang Pambansa , a grammar book written by Lope K. Santos, then acknowledged as the Dean of Tagalog Writers and Father of the National Language. The publication of these books paved the way for the introduction of the national language beginning with the school year 1940-41 during the fourth year of all high schools and in the second year of both public and private normal schools in the whole country.
“Pilipino” Emerges
On July 4, 1946 under Commonwealth Act No. 570, independence was granted to the Philippines by the United States of America. It provided for the use of the national language as one of the official languages of the Philippines (the others being Spanish and English) in government offices. Soon, adherents of the Tagalog-based national language increased rapidly all over the islands.
In 1954, the national language was given a further boost by President Ramon Magsaysay when he proclaimed the celebration of a Linggo ng Wika (National Language Week) and the national observance annually of the birthday of Francisco Balagtas, a great Tagalog poet.
In 1961, the Office of the Secretary of Education introduced the term “Pilipino” when referring to the national language. It gained wide acceptance in schools and among the general public, thus the Tagalog-based national language was soon called Pilipino. By 1974, the Pilipino movement stirred the public to “think Pilipino.” School teachers were encouraged to attend seminars in Pilipino, the Department of Education started issuing memos, circulars and bulletins enjoining school organs to include sections in Pilipino in their publications, translate English and other foreign materials into Pilipino, use Pilipino on school diplomas and certificates, and sing the national anthem only in Pilipino. In schools, Pilipino was introduced at the tertiary level and in the teaching of civics and culture at lower levels. In 1990, then Philippine President Corazon Aquino ordered government offices to use Pilipino as a medium of communication. The government was encouraged to use Pilipino in naming their departments and buildings, and to print Pilipino text on their letterheads, seals and signages. Government employees were also enjoined to attend seminars on Pilipino to broaden their knowledge and skill in the use of the national language.
The Medium of Instruction and Communication
The Department of Education and the schools have continuously promoted Pilipino, now called Filipino, as a medium of instruction and communication. Other supportive forces have joined them in the propagation and enrichment of the language. Radio and television, for instance, use Filipino in a majority of their programs to reach out to the masses. Of late, more dubbing and subtitling of foreign-produced programs has been done in Filipino and has contributed much to the promotion of the language.
In the print media, the number of publishers who produce and circulate books, magazines, comics, broadsheets and tabloids in Filipino is increasing. Songs in Filipino are also “in” and played over the airwaves, sung in concerts and in theatrical performances. Composers in Filipino are now enjoying recognition and patronage from a growing audience.
Masses and services in Catholic and Christian churches are now said in Filipino. There are Filipino versions of the bible and other